Telstra is being slammed for suggesting a working mother ‘show her kid the outside world’ when she asked for help with her faulty internet and Foxtel.

Nova newsreader and national newsroom manager Michelle Stephenson was shocked when she tweeted Telstra for help, only to receive ‘a condescending, unhelpful parenting lesson.’

Telstra’s questionable tweet quickly gained traction, with many asking why the telecommunications provider didn’t just help the mother-of-one with her question.

‘Telstra, my Foxtel and broadband are down and it says estimated time fixed is two days. I have a child who wants TV though,’ the Bondi mother-of-one tweeted.

‘Heya Michelle, I can appreciate that, I usually show my kid the outside world when there’s no internet, it’s tricky… - Renee,’ the Telstra Twitter account replied.

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Telstra is being slammed for suggesting a working mother ‘show her kid the outside world’ when she asked for help with her faulty internet and Foxtel

Nova newsreader and national newsroom manager Michelle Stephenson was shocked when she tweeted Telstra for help, only to receive ‘a condescending, unhelpful parenting lesson'

Telstra’s questionable tweet quickly gained traction, with many asking why the telecommunications provider didn’t just help the mother-of-one with her question

‘Hey Telstra, then maybe shut down any and all Telstra video streaming content if you’re so outdoor conscious,’ tweeted Matt de Groot

Mrs Stephenson says it was an ignorant response given she’s already cautious about how much television her young son watches (pictured) and they spend lots of time outside, going to the beach every day

The fulltime working mother, who is also a university lecturer, ‘couldn’t believe how condescending the tweet was’.

‘When Telstra think they’re funny but instead are condescending,’ Mrs Stephenson tweeted.

She says it was an ignorant response given she’s already cautious about how much television her young son watches, taking him to the beach daily and only allowing him to watch around half an hour a day. Mrs Stephenson says she was simply inquiring about the service she’s paying for.

‘My son hadn’t watched TV all day, he’s very active. My child sees the world and we’re down at the beach everyday. He just wanted to watch Fireman Sam while I made dinner,’ she said.

The fulltime working mother, who is also a university lecturer, ‘couldn’t believe how condescending the tweet was’

Mrs Stephenson said it took three tweets before Telstra addressed her question about her faulty service

‘We spend a good amount of money with Telstra – we have internet, phone, Foxtel. I feel like if I'm paying all that I deserve a tweet with an answer. I had to get irate, which I never like to do, before she even answered my question,' said Mrs Stephenson.

Others were also shocked by the response and pointed out the ‘patronising’ nature of the tweet.

‘What a hugely unhelpful and patronising response,’ wrote Georgie Page.

‘You serious Telstra? Stick to fixing the problem, customers don’t deserve your sarcasm and ignorance,’ tweeted Craig Brown.

‘Why would you think this was a suitable response? Paying client wants their (your) product to work,’ tweeted Frankie.

‘Hey Telstra, then maybe shut down any and all Telstra video streaming content if you’re so outdoor conscious,’ tweeted Matt de Groot.

Telstra has apologised and says it wasn’t their intention to be condescending.



