ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox come under the extended supervision of the EU through the Digital Services Act

The European Commission has designated ChatGPT as a very large online search engine, and Reddit and Roblox as very large online platforms, after the services declared that they exceed the threshold of 45 million monthly users in the EU. The three companies have until the end of December 2026 to comply with additional obligations regarding systemic risks, protection of minors, fundamental rights, and public safety.

The European Commission has designated ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox for enhanced oversight under the Digital Services Act, after all three services declared that they reach at least 45 million active monthly users in the European Union. ChatGPT has been classified as a very large online search engine, VLOSE, while Reddit and Roblox have been designated as very large online platforms, VLOP, which triggers an additional set of obligations and grants the Commission direct powers for investigation and oversight.

In short ChatGPT has been designated by the Commission as a Very Large Online Search Engine, and Reddit and Roblox as Very Large Online Platforms.

The three services have declared that they reach at least 45 million active monthly users in the EU, the threshold from which enhanced oversight applies.

By the end of December 2026, they must implement additional obligations regarding the assessment and reduction of systemic risks generated by their services and algorithmic systems.

Among the risks that must be assessed are the spread of illegal content, effects on minors, and physical or mental health, fundamental rights, electoral processes, and public safety.

The Commission will directly oversee compliance with the DSA, together with the Irish authority Coimisiún na Meán for ChatGPT and Reddit and with the Authority for Consumers and Markets in the Netherlands for Roblox.

The designation from August 31 changes the level of oversight applicable to the three services. ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox were already subject to the general obligations set out by the Digital Services Act for search engines and online platforms, but exceeding the user threshold places them in the category of services with a sufficiently large influence to be subject to additional requirements.

The threshold is set at at least 45 million active monthly users in the European Union. The Commission states that all three services have declared that they reach this level, which led to their official designation.

ChatGPT is treated differently from Reddit and Roblox due to the way it operates. The Commission describes it as an artificial intelligence system that can interact with users and respond to their requests, including by searching for information on the internet.

For this reason, Brussels considers ChatGPT a hybrid service that meets the criteria to be treated as an online search engine in the sense of the DSA. Exceeding the user threshold places it in the category of Very Large Online Search Engines.

Reddit is considered an online platform because users can create, publish, and interact with content in communities organized by topics. Roblox is classified in the same category because it allows users to create, publish, and use games and experiences created by other users.

After the notification of the designation, the three services have four months to implement the additional obligations. The deadline indicated by the Commission is the end of December 2026.

One of the main changes is the obligation to analyze the systemic risks that may arise from the operation of the services and their associated algorithmic systems. The assessment must consider effects that go beyond issues affecting a single user and may have consequences on a large scale in society.

Illegal content is one of the areas included in this analysis, but it is not the only one. Services must also examine possible negative effects on minors and on the physical and mental well-being of users.

In the same category fall risks to fundamental rights, electoral processes, and public safety. After identifying the risks, companies must implement measures to mitigate them.

The obligation does not mean that the designation establishes the existence of a breach of the DSA or that the respective services have already produced the effects listed by the Commission. It is about applying an additional level of prevention, assessment, and accountability reserved for digital services with a very large audience.

The designation also changes the institutional relationship between companies and European authorities. The Commission receives investigative powers to analyze the functionalities of the services and, when relevant, the systems behind them.

For ChatGPT and Reddit, oversight will be carried out by the Commission together with Coimisiún na Meán, the coordinator of digital services in Ireland, where these services are established in the EU. In the case of Roblox, the Commission's national partner is the Authority for Consumers and Markets in the Netherlands.

The Digital Services Act thus divides the application of rules between the Commission and the digital services coordinators in member states. For very large platforms and search engines, the Commission has a direct role in overseeing the additional obligations associated with systemic risks.

The Executive Vice-President of the Commission for Technological Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, stated that the designations will subject the three services to a higher level of control and accountability in the European Union, in line with their impact on citizens and society.

“These new designations mean that ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox will now be held to a higher standard of scrutiny and accountability in the European Union,” said Virkkunen. She specified that the institution will continue to monitor the evolution of the digital market and that it may designate other services that reach the necessary threshold for enhanced oversight. With the three new designations, the Commission states that the total number of very large online platforms and very large online search engines designated under the DSA reaches 28.

The Digital Services Act establishes a graduated system of obligations based on the type and size of the digital service. Platforms and search engines that reach at least 45 million active monthly users in the EU fall into a distinct category, as their operation can produce effects on a European scale.

ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox were already covered by the general obligations applicable to their services. The decision from August 31 adds the requirements reserved for very large services and grants the Commission a direct role in verifying compliance with them.

The three services do not have to immediately comply with all new requirements on the day of designation. The four-month period established by the DSA ends at the end of December 2026, at which point the additional obligations must be fully applied.

https://2eu.brussels/en/news/chatgpt-reddit-and-roblox-come-under-extended-ue-oversight-through-the-digital-services-act