The European Union utilizes the Digital Services Act as its primary regulatory weapon to hold the biggest global tech companies accountable for content moderation and user safety. Over the past few years, this regulation has placed major platforms like X, TikTok, and Meta under enhanced supervision, subjecting them to deep investigations over systemic algorithmic risks. However, this enhanced supervision only kicks in when a digital service surpasses a strict regional threshold of 45 million average monthly users. While ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox spent the last year complying with the basic foundational rules of the act, the European Commission has now officially pulled all three companies into its top regulatory tier.
The move comes after recent filings confirmed all three services comfortably crossed the threshold. ChatGPT reported 159.1 million monthly users in the EU, Reddit counted 57.2 million, and Roblox mentions 46.6 million. With those numbers on the record, the Commission formally designated ChatGPT as a Very Large Online Search Engine (VLOSE), as well as Reddit and Roblox as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs), under the Digital Services Act (DSA). Because ChatGPT is an Artificial Intelligence system that can engage with and respond to user queries, including by searching the web, regulators consider it a hybrid service that qualifies as a search engine. Meanwhile, Reddit and Roblox officially qualify as online platforms because both services enable users to disseminate third-party content to the public.
Following these official designations, the three companies have four months, or until January 2027, to comply with the additional DSA obligations. ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox are required to evaluate and mitigate the systemic risks tied to their algorithmic systems and core services. This means actively addressing the spread of illegal content, potential harm to electoral processes and public security, and any negative impacts on fundamental rights or the physical and mental well-being of minors and everyday users. The new status also grants the European Commission investigative powers to thoroughly assess how these services function. The Commission will manage this supervision alongside local Digital Services Coordinators, teaming up with Coimisiún na Meán in Ireland for ChatGPT and Reddit, and the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) in the Netherlands for Roblox.
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Yuval Goel, 2026-09- 1 (Update: 2026-09- 1)
