The European Union is implementing the Digital Services Act (DSA) as a key regulatory tool to ensure that the world’s largest tech companies are held accountable for content moderation and user protection. In recent years, this legislation has tightened oversight of major platforms such as X, TikTok, and Meta, launching extensive reviews of their algorithmic systems for systemic risks. However, this heightened supervision applies only to digital services that exceed the regional threshold of 45 million average monthly users.

Over the past year, ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox have complied with the basic DSA requirements, but the European Commission has now officially designated these services as platforms subject to stricter regulation. This decision followed the publication of reports confirming that all three services significantly surpassed the established threshold: ChatGPT has 159.1 million monthly users in the EU, Reddit has 57.2 million, and Roblox has 46.6 million.

Based on this data, the Commission has classified ChatGPT as a Very Large Online Search Engine (VLOSE), while Reddit and Roblox have been designated as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOP) under the DSA. ChatGPT is considered a hybrid service, capable of both interacting with users and conducting internet searches, which qualifies it as a search engine. Reddit and Roblox are recognized as online platforms because they allow users to share third-party content with a broad audience.

Following the official assignment of this new status, all three companies have four months—until January 2027—to meet additional DSA requirements. These include assessing and mitigating systemic risks related to algorithmic systems and core services, preventing the spread of illegal content, minimizing potential harm to electoral processes and public safety, and avoiding negative consequences for the fundamental rights and well-being of minors and other users.

The new status also grants the European Commission the authority to conduct thorough investigations into the operations of these services. Oversight will be carried out in cooperation with national digital services coordinators: with Coimisiún na Meán in Ireland for ChatGPT and Reddit, and with the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) in the Netherlands for Roblox.