ChatGPT, Reddit, Roblox designated as EU Very Large Platforms under Digital Services Act

The European Commission formally designated OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox under the EU’s Digital Services Act, placing them in the same compliance bracket as Meta, Google, and Amazon.

ChatGPT was classified as a Very Large Online Search Engine (VLOSE), making it the first standalone AI service to earn that distinction. Reddit and Roblox were tagged as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs). The trigger for all three: each exceeded 45 million average monthly active users in the EU, roughly 10% of the bloc’s population.

The numbers behind the designations

ChatGPT registered approximately 159.1 million average monthly users between October 2025 and March 2026. Reddit reported 57.2 million average monthly EU users as of July 2026. Roblox came in with between 46.6 and 48 million users.

Reddit’s shares dropped more than 3% on the announcement day. With these three additions, the total number of platforms and search engines designated under the DSA’s highest tier now stands at 28.

What compliance actually looks like

The newly designated companies have until the end of December 2026 or January 2027 to meet requirements including annual risk assessments, independent audits, mechanisms to tackle illegal content, protections for minors, and safeguards for public security rights.

The penalty for non-compliance: fines of up to 6% of global annual turnover. OpenAI has indicated it is preparing to comply with the VLOSE requirements.

ChatGPT’s VLOSE classification treats an AI chatbot as functionally equivalent to a search engine, carrying obligations around transparency and content ranking. Reddit and Roblox were flagged specifically for enabling user-generated content.

The DSA’s expanding reach

The Digital Services Act was progressively enacted starting in 2024, building a tiered regulatory framework for online platforms operating in the EU. The initial wave of VLOP and VLOSE designations captured Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, ByteDance’s TikTok, Amazon’s marketplace, Google Search, and Microsoft’s Bing.

ChatGPT’s VLOSE classification establishes precedent for how generative AI tools will be regulated across Europe. For Reddit, which went public in 2024, compliance costs will show up on income statements, and the 3% share price drop signals investors are already pricing in some of that friction.

Roblox’s user base skews young, and the DSA’s minor protection requirements will demand robust age verification and content safety systems across millions of user-created experiences. The 45 million user threshold means any fast-growing service is on a countdown clock the moment it gains traction in European markets.

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