The European Union designated ChatGPT as a Very Large Online Search Engine and Reddit and Roblox as Very Large Online Platforms under the Digital Services Act (DSA) on August 31, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]. The designation targets platforms with more than 45 million monthly active EU users, a threshold met by all three [1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12].
This marks the first time an AI chatbot has been classified under the very large platform rules, setting a precedent for generative AI regulation in the EU [1, 2, 6, 7, 8]. The EU labeled ChatGPT a search engine due to its capacity to respond to user queries including web searches [1, 6, 7, 11]. Reddit is defined as an online platform with topic-based user communities, while Roblox operates as a platform for user-created and published games [3, 6, 7, 11].
Henna Virkkunen, European Commission Executive Vice President for Technology, said, "ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox will now be held to a higher standard of scrutiny and accountability in the European Union, in line with their large impact on our citizens and society" [1]. She added the commission "will not hesitate to designate any platform that meets the threshold for enhanced supervision under the Digital Services Act" [11].
These platforms have four months, until the end of December 2026, to comply with new DSA obligations [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12]. They must assess and mitigate systemic risks including illegal content dissemination, harm to minors, threats to users’ mental and physical health, violations of fundamental rights, impacts on electoral processes, and public security [1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12].
The Digital Services Act enforces transparency and content moderation rules on very large platforms, with fines up to 6% of global turnover for non-compliance [3, 4, 5, 11, 12]. The European Commission will supervise adherence, working with national regulators: Ireland for ChatGPT and Reddit, the Netherlands for Roblox [11].
Expert Lena-Maria Boswald from German think tank Interface noted the DSA designation increases ChatGPT’s obligations beyond those already in place under the EU AI Act. She said, "OpenAI already has risk-management obligations under the AI Act, but the DSA could widen the scope" [1].
The EU previously fined Elon Musk's social media platform X €120 million in 2025 for breaching DSA transparency rules [1, 2, 3, 8].
ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox must meet the DSA requirements by December 31, 2026, or face potential fines and enforcement action from EU regulators [1, 4, 5, 11].
