ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox will face stricter digital oversight in the European Union after the European Commission designated all three services as platforms with audiences large enough to trigger the bloc’s highest level of obligations under the Digital Services Act.
The designations apply to services that reach at least 45 million average monthly users in the EU. ChatGPT has been classified as a Very Large Online Search Engine, while Reddit and Roblox have been designated Very Large Online Platforms.
The Commission’s decision puts the three services under a set of rules designed for online services with the largest audiences and, consequently, the potential to have a significant effect on users and wider society.
For ChatGPT, the classification reflects the way the service operates as a hybrid between an AI assistant and a search service. The Commission said its ability to respond to user prompts while also providing web search means it qualifies as an online search engine under the DSA.
Reddit and Roblox fall into the Very Large Online Platform category because their services allow users to create, publish and distribute content.
EU technology commissioner Henna Virkkunen said the new designations would subject the companies to greater scrutiny and accountability because of their scale and potential influence on European citizens and society.
The additional obligations will not take effect immediately. The three services have four months from notification of their designation to meet the new requirements, with the compliance deadline falling in January 2027.
Among the issues they will be required to examine are systemic risks associated with illegal content, the protection of minors, physical and mental well-being, fundamental rights, elections and public security. The designations also give the European Commission greater powers to investigate the services and the systems behind them.
The scale of the platforms’ European audiences was central to the Commission’s decision. According to Euronews, OpenAI reported an average of about 159 million monthly active users for ChatGPT’s search function in the EU over the six months ending in March 2026. Reddit reported 57.2 million users, while Roblox reported approximately 48 million.
Those figures put all three services above the EU’s 45 million-user threshold for Very Large Online Platforms or Very Large Online Search Engines.
The designations reflect a broader shift in how Brussels regulates the biggest digital services. Rather than applying the same requirements to every online platform, the DSA imposes additional responsibilities on services whose size gives them a greater capacity to influence what people see, share and do online.
For ChatGPT, the decision also illustrates how EU regulators are applying existing digital rules to newer forms of technology. The Commission’s treatment of the service as a “hybrid service” shows that AI products that combine conversational systems with search capabilities do not necessarily fit neatly into traditional categories.
For Reddit and Roblox, the focus is more directly connected to the scale of user-generated content and the risks that can accompany large online communities.
The three companies now have until January 2027 to meet the additional requirements. Their designation also means that the European Commission will have a more direct role in examining how they identify and manage risks across their services, particularly where those risks could affect users, public safety or fundamental rights.
