The European Commission has designated ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox as services subject to the strictest requirements of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) after each reported reaching at least 45 million monthly users in the European Union.
Under the designations announced today, ChatGPT is classified as a Very Large Online Search Engine (VLOSE), while Reddit and Roblox have been named Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs). The three services now have four months, until the end of December, to comply with the additional obligations that apply to services of this scale.
These requirements include assessing and mitigating systemic risks associated with their services and algorithms, including the spread of illegal content, risks to minors, effects on users’ physical and mental well-being, threats to fundamental rights, election-related risks, and public security concerns.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT is a generative AI assistant that can answer user questions and, in supported configurations, search the web. The Commission said this combination makes ChatGPT a hybrid service that qualifies as an online search engine under the DSA. Reddit operates a large network of topic-based communities where users publish and discuss content, while Roblox provides an online gaming and creation environment where users can develop, distribute, and play experiences made by others.
Because Reddit and Roblox distribute third-party user content to the public, the Commission considers them online platforms under the legislation.
The designation also gives the European Commission additional investigative and supervisory powers covering the services and, where applicable, systems connected to their operation. Enforcement will be coordinated with Ireland’s Coimisiún na Meán for ChatGPT and Reddit, and the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets for Roblox, reflecting where the services are established in the EU.
All three were already required to follow the DSA’s general rules for online platforms or search engines. The new VLOP and VLOSE status adds substantially greater scrutiny intended for services whose scale means failures can have broader societal consequences.
The DSA establishes rules governing areas including platform transparency, illegal content, advertising, researcher access, recommender systems, and systemic-risk management. Its requirements for the largest services have already resulted in enforcement actions, including a €120 million fine against X in December 2025 over violations involving its verification design, advertising repository, and researcher data access.
With the latest additions, the Commission says it has now designated 28 Very Large Online Platforms and Very Large Online Search Engines under the DSA.
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