The European Union is tightening its scrutiny of some of the world’s largest digital services, placing ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox under new obligations through the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
The European Commission announced the new designations on 31 August 2026, as the three platforms reported at least 45 million average monthly users in the European Union.
That user threshold puts them in the category of very large digital services that are subject to stricter requirements.
ChatGPT is classified as a very large online search engine (VLOSE) while Reddit and Roblox are classified as very large online platforms (VLOPs).
The classification means companies will have to take more steps to identify and address risks associated with their services.
The EU rules are intended to examine online services' broader structure and design and operation and how the overall architecture and operation of big online services can pose risks for users and society.
One of the main concerns is the spread of illegal content. Platforms under the stricter DSA requirements have to have systems to allow users to report potentially illegal material and take appropriate action when such content is detected.
Protection of children is another major focus.The EU wants big online platforms to minimize the risk that minors are exposed to harmful or inappropriate material.
And the rules also provide stronger guarantees for advertising and how online services interact with younger users.
The companies will also have to assess the threat of their recommendation systems and other algorithms. Such assessments can involve users’ fundamental rights, physical and mental health, security issues and electoral processes.
The DSA also provides more transparency in content moderation and recommendation systems. In some cases users can challenge moderation decisions.
Very large platforms should also provide an option that allows for users to access recommendations that are not based on personal profiling.
ChatGPT is especially significant because it brings a major generative AI service into the EU’s highest level of digital oversight.
Reddit and Roblox are large online communities, and user-generated content and interactions pose their own moderation and safety challenges.
Under the EU framework, the newly assigned services have four months to meet the additional obligations which apply to VLOPs and VLOSEs.
The move is part of the European Union’s larger push to hold big tech companies more responsible for all the risks associated with their scale.
And the DSA shouldn’t just be concerned with removing illegal material; it is also looking at how digital services are designed in the first place and whether that plays a part in creating bigger problems.
ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox’s new status could lead to closer scrutiny of their systems, risk assessments and safety measures in the European market.
The new designations also reveal a changing technology regulation landscape in Europe.
AI services, gaming platforms and online communities are increasingly seen as core elements of the digital ecosystem and regulators want better protection for users while protecting fundamental rights.
As implementation goes on, companies will have to show how they identify, evaluate and reduce risks associated with their platforms and services.
