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Reflectly - Journal/Diary
Common Sense says
- iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Free to try
- Health & Fitness
Parents say
Kids say
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Reflectly - Journal/Diary is a journal app for writing, uploading photos, and answering questions about your day. It includes ways to rate each day, listen to inspirational audio messages, and get reminders. Dubbed by the developer as a "personal mental health companion" with AI technology, Reflectly offers quotes, prompts, and questions relevant to the user. The reflections, photos, and personal ratings are saved in the journal for later review (passcode protected with premium version $47.99/year). Read the developer's privacy policy for details on how your (or your kids') information is collected, used, and shared and any choices you may have in the matter, and note that privacy policies and terms of service frequently change.
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What's it about?
To use REFLECTLY - JOURNAL/DIARY, select a username and password, or sign in via Facebook. Choose to sign up for $47.99/year or try the seven-day free trial. Rate your day with an adjustable face emoji, answer some questions, and write some reflections for your day. Next, it asks you an optional question to think more deeply about your day. Then, listen to a daily reflection on a larger topic, such as "doing the small things really great."
Is it any good?
This handy journal app does a good job providing questions that get users thinking about the ups and downs of their days, but be prepared to pay for it. Reflectly - Journal/Diary's pre-loaded questions and easy ways to answer via slider bars and by tapping icons are relevant to almost any day, and can be very helpful. The app also encourages users to add photos and their own more in-depth written reflections on their day, but it doesn't make going into detail mandatory to log the day. The motivational messages are the weak link in Reflectly - Journal/Diary. Recording quality is low and tinny and some of the reflections are overloaded with platitudes ("Now is the alchemy of dreams."), which makes it difficult to listen to the end-of-day reflections. The premium version provides a biometric passcode lock for the app, provides new reflections daily, automatic cloud backups, and color themes. But it will cost you ($47.99/year).
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about how Reflectly - Journal/Diary uses motivational quotes and audio messages along with users' own daily reflections. Ask your teen: Can reading or listening to someone else's perspective on the ups and downs of life help you gain perspective on your own? Why or why not?
Read Common Sense Media's parent tips Can Mindfulness Techniques Help My Teen's Tech Stress? to find out how practicing self-awareness (perhaps with tools like this app) may help teens' health and happiness.
Talk about how adding a photo to each day's entry can be a useful feature on this app. A picture of your best (or worst) moment of your day can say 1,000 words.
App details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Skills: Self-Direction: motivation, personal growth, self-reflection
Emotional Development: identifying emotions, self-awareness
Communication: multiple forms of expression
Health & Fitness: mental health - Price: Free to try
- Pricing structure: Free to try (free trial then $47.99/year)
- Release date: July 16, 2018
- Category: Health & Fitness
- Size: 48.00 MB
- Publisher: Reflectly
- Version: 2.2.3
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 10.0 or later; Android 6.0 and up
For kids who love journal apps and writing
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.