DC14-424                                                                       September 11, 2014

Austin Healey urges parents to switch on parental controls to protect children online

Ex England and Lions Rugby Union international, Austin Healey, has called on BT customers to protect their children while using the internet, by setting up BT Parental Controls.

BT announced today, that the former Leicester Tigers star and father of four daughters, aged between six and 13 years, will be the face of its publicity campaign for BT Parental Controls.

Austin Healey, who is now a presenter on BT Sport, said: "If you have young children, I would really urge you to spend a couple of minutes setting up your BT Parental Controls.

"As a parent, there are an endless number of things to worry about, so don't make the internet one of them. It really does take a matter of minutes and a few clicks of a mouse to protect your children online and it will give you the peace of mind of knowing they are using the internet more safely."

BT Parental Controls is a network-based filter that helps make it easier for families to control what their children can see online. It blocks inappropriate content and filters out potentially harmful websites on all devices. These range from PCs, laptops and games consoles to tablets and smartphones that are connected to the BT Home Hub or when customers use their BT ID to connect to a BT wi-fi hotspot, of which there are more than five million in the UK, The filter is free to all BT Broadband customers.

Activating BT Parental Controls is quick and easy to do - there's no software to download and once it is set up, customers can amend their filter level to suit their family's needs.

The filters can be set to automatically turn on and off at particular times, for example to act as a "watershed" and it can also be set for "homework time" when children are studying.

New customers are automatically offered the option of setting up their BT Parental Controls when they connect their BT Home Hub. BT has committed to the Government to contact all existing customers by December 2014 to decide whether they would like to activate BT Parental Controls and this is underway. Existing customers can turn on the controls by logging into My BT at bt.com.

Austin Healey added: "The internet is a hugely valuable tool for children and I want to encourage my daughters to use it positively. Having got my BT Parental Controls in place, I am now confident that my children will be able to use the web positively to learn, interact and explore their curiosity and creativity, without being exposed to sites that my wife and I do not want them to see."

For more information on BT Parental Controls please visit: www.bt.com/parentalcontrols.

Enquiries about this news release should be made to the BT Group Newsroom on its 24-hour number: 020 7356 5369. From outside the UK dial + 44 20 7356 5369. E-mail: newsroom@bt.com

All news releases can be accessed at our web site: http://www.bt.com/newscentre

Notes to editors

About BT

BT is one of the world's leading providers of communications services and solutions, serving customers in more than 170 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to its customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband, TV and internet products and services; and converged fixed/mobile products and services. BT consists principally of five lines of business: BT Global Services, BT Business, BT Consumer, BT Wholesale and Openreach.

For the year ended 31 March 2014, BT Group's reported revenue was £18,287m with reported profit before taxation of £2,312m.

British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.

For more information, visit www.btplc.com.



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