Secret Creator Secret Video Journal Review
DISCLOSURE -THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.
Reviewed by Mel Randle
My daughter (10) jumped at the chance when I asked her to try the Secret Video Journal by Secret Creator and tell me what she thought. The journal is marketed for ages 7+ and she is at that difficult ‘tween’ age where she is aware of the digital world and social media, and the fact she is not old enough to use it makes her even more curious. I think this is a fantastic product to satisfy that curiosity whilst keeping children safe. We can’t avoid that they are growing up and will inevitably be exposed to these things so I believe we can help manage that transition and this is a great way to do it.
The Secret Video Journal is essentially a digital version of a paper journal – and if like me you have a girl aged 7+ you will be drowning in a drawer full of half filled notebooks that they ‘needed’!! It comes neatly packed in a predominantly cardboard box with very little excess packaging so gets a mark for environmentally conscious. The product itself is aesthetically pleasing (or cute as my daughter would say) and comes with a charging cable, SD card, instruction manual and a sheet of stickers to personalize the device. My daughter wasted no time in decorating it with all the ‘cool’ stickers such as a capybara, bubble tea and rainbow.
The numerous features of the journal (which I will come onto in a minute) all got a thumbs up, but the overriding winner in our house had to be the ‘secret’ part of it. Once saved in settings, the journal can only be opened by fingertip recognition. What 10 year old doesn’t want to feel they have the power to lock their secrets away from their parents! Although if that does concern you and you did want to have access, there is the ability to register up to 10 fingerprints.
The journaling side of it I think is really lovely. The child is able to video record themselves saying whatever they want and then save it into the calendar feature; therefore everything is date stamped and chronicled. If they can’t think of anything to say, the journal can prompt them with questions such as ‘Did you learn anything new today?’ or ‘Did you do anything today that made you feel good?’ A benefit of this is encouraging the child to talk about their feelings and focus on positive things.
Other features include LED lighting with 10 ‘mood’ colours and a camera with 24 filters/effects. I’m not going to lie, the chance to look at herself wearing cat ears or a selfie on a screen covered in love hearts won my daughter over immediately! Everything is saved to the SD Card and can easily be deleted if not required.
The one negative to the journal is the sound quality on the recordings, however I think we need to remember that this isn’t the latest ‘I-phone’ and the price label reflects that! Otherwise my daughter only had positive things to say about it and has really enjoyed the freedom of exploring the features by herself.
I think this is a fabulous product for (predominantly) girls ages 7- 13. It’s a safe space for them to explore features of the online world without actually being online and they can feel ‘grown-up’ without all the grown-up issues. As a parent you can be reassured that they will have no contact with anyone else and no access to any other content. We can’t stop them growing up but we can help them arrive there safely!
Rating: 4.5/5
RRP £43.99 currently on sale for £39.99. Age 7 Years +
More information can be found at https://www.smythstoys.com/uk/en-gb/toys/arts-crafts-and-music/ring-lights-and-video-makers/secret-creator-secret-video-journal/p/248961