EU Targets ChatGPT, Reddit, Roblox With Tougher DSA Scrutiny

Why the Commission Classified ChatGPT as a Search Engine

The European Commission designated ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox on Aug. 31, placing all three under the Digital Services Act’s (DSA) enhanced supervision regime. Each reported at least 45 million average monthly EU users, the threshold for designation.

ChatGPT was classified as a Very Large Online Search Engine (VLOSE), while Reddit and Roblox were classified as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs). Those labels reflect each service’s size and function, not any finding that they violated the act. Henna Virkkunen, executive vice-president for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, remarked:

“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, in line with their large impact on our citizens and society.”

“We continue to watch the digital landscape closely and will not hesitate to designate any platform that meets the threshold for enhanced supervision under the Digital Services Act,” she added.

ChatGPT falls into the search-engine category because it can answer prompts using information retrieved from the web, a feature the Commission treats as part of a hybrid service subject to direct oversight. Reddit and Roblox, by contrast, are platforms centered on user-generated content and digital communities. That participatory model overlaps in some respects with Web3 concepts built around online communities and user participation, although Reddit and Roblox themselves are centralized services. Reddit organizes content around topic-based communities, while Roblox lets users create games and experiences that others can access.

How Many Europeans Use ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox

Commission data put ChatGPT search at 159.1 million average monthly users in the EU. The figures are reported by the companies themselves, with ChatGPT trailing Google Search at 364 million but exceeding Microsoft’s Bing at 119 million.

Those figures are reported by the companies themselves for DSA purposes. Reddit reported 57.2 million average monthly users and Roblox 46.6 million, putting Roblox just 1.6 million above the designation threshold. Designation status is not permanent: the Commission withdrew Stripchat’s very large platform designation in May 2025.

OpenAI Ireland Ltd. is the entity listed as ChatGPT’s provider. OpenAI confirmed that it filed a confidential draft S-1 with U.S. regulators on June 8. Its March funding round valued the company at $852 billion, and no listing date has been confirmed.

What the Three Companies Must Do by January 2027

Under the Commission’s DSA enforcement framework, ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox have four months from notification of their designations to comply with the additional requirements. The Commission says that deadline falls in January 2027.

By then, each provider must assess risks tied to its service and algorithmic systems and introduce measures to reduce them. Those concerns overlap with broader debates about AI information integrity, trust, and safeguards for online systems. Risk categories include illegal content, harm to minors, electoral processes, public security, mental and physical health, and fundamental rights.

Oversight is shared with national regulators. According to the announcement, Ireland’s Coimisiún na Meán is paired with ChatGPT and Reddit, while the Netherlands’ Authority for Consumers and Markets oversees Roblox alongside the Commission. Direct responsibility for the additional VLOP and VLOSE obligations remains with the Commission, while national Digital Services Coordinators participate in the wider enforcement framework.

What Happens to Platforms That Breach the Act

Enforcement has already produced major penalties. The Commission fined X €120 million in December 2025 for transparency violations involving its paid “blue checkmark,” advertising repository, and researcher access to public data.

A larger penalty followed on July 20, 2026, when Aliexpress was fined €550 million for failures to assess and mitigate risks involving illegal, unsafe, or counterfeit products. Aliexpress is a Very Large Online Platform, placing it in the same DSA supervision tier as Reddit and Roblox.

Fines can reach 6% of a provider’s global annual turnover. The Commission can also impose periodic penalties of up to 5% of average daily worldwide turnover for each day of delay. Before issuing penalties, regulators can demand access to data and algorithms, conduct interviews, and inspect premises. As a last resort, the DSA also allows temporary restrictions on access to a service when persistent infringements cause serious harm and meet strict legal conditions.

Where the EU’s Crypto Rules Stand

The Digital Services Act is not the only major EU rulebook under review. In May, the Commission opened a review of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), less than two years after the rules took effect.

That consultation is examining whether MiCA remains fit for purpose, including its treatment of stablecoins, decentralized finance, and staking. EU officials are also considering changes involving crypto-assets issued outside the bloc, including stablecoins. Any resulting amendments would follow a separate legislative process from the DSA.

Overall, the Commission’s supervised list now covers 28 platforms and search engines, up from the 19 services named when the regime began in April 2023. Nothing in the Aug. 31 announcement finds that ChatGPT, Reddit or Roblox has breached the act.