Adnkronos (Adnkronos) –
Is trouble ahead for Me Contro Te? Consumerismo No Profit, the independent Italian consumer lobby, filed an appeal on September 14, 2026, with the Court of Palermo, Specialized Section for Business Matters, against Me Contro Te Srl (formerly Pandacorno Srls), the company of the digital creator couple followed by millions of children.
This is a class action injunction pursuant to Article 840-sexiesdecies of the Italian Code of Civil Procedure, which asks the judges to "order the cessation of the unfair practices carried out by the company attributable to the couple." Specifically, Consumerismo explains in a statement, "the website mecontrote.it and the app of the same name represent an entertainment environment designed for children and pre-adolescents: within the website and app, without any separation from the gaming content, there is a 'Shop' section with the imperative call to action 'Go to the shop!', which leads to an Amazon storefront with an affiliate link.
The main menu has only three items and 'Shop' is the first one.”
On June 9th, Consumerismo reported these critical issues to the Antitrust Authority, also requesting the transmission of privacy profiles to the Guarantor. Neither response nor correction was received: hence the appeal, which alleges a series of violations of the Consumer Code and the rules on the privacy of minors.
Specifically, the following are identified: Aggressive commercial practice through direct solicitation to purchase, aimed at children; Misleading practice by omission: no information about the actual seller, the affiliate nature of the link, or the terms of sale, warranty, withdrawal, or assistance; Hidden advertising: blurring the lines between entertainment and commercial solicitations; Opaque corporate identity: three different names (Me Contro Te in the footer, Pandacorno srls in the site's privacy policy, Me Contro Te Srl in the app's privacy policy) and two different registered offices (Partinico and Marsala) under the same VAT number; Cookie banner with scrolling consent ("If you continue to use this site, we will assume you are happy with it"), only an 'OK' button, no 'Reject'. Furthermore, among the "critical issues" identified by Consumerismo are "Outdated and contradictory privacy policy: data retention 'no later than 12/31/2019'; Incorrectly cited legal basis; non-EU transfers declared absent but in fact present (Google Analytics, Azure PlayFab); language inappropriate for children; Minors' data: no age verification or parental consent for those under 14, while the app claims to collect 'player behavior' and children's gaming preferences, with no impact assessment.
With its injunction, Consumerismo is asking the Court of Palermo to ascertain "the alleged violations, order their immediate cessation with a ban on repetition, and order the website and app to be reconfigured within 30 days by removing the 'Go to the shop!' slogan from the gaming environment (or segregating it with an age limit); a clear separation between content and advertising; a unified corporate identity in all information notices; a new cookie banner with equally prominent 'Accept' and 'Reject' options; information notices rewritten in child-friendly language; an age verification system and parental consent; and a DPIA (Documentary Document for the processing of minors)."
"The 'influencer for children + integrated shop' model that has guaranteed Me Contro Te huge profits up to now is now ending up in court," explains Luigi Gabriele, president of Consumerismo. "Minors are not a commercial target, and anyone who builds a relationship of trust with children is required to respect a heightened standard of diligence, even more so in the case of the creator duo Me Contro Te, who boast 7,31 million YouTube subscribers, 1,6 million Instagram followers, and 3,5 million TikTok followers."
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