EU Brings ChatGPT, Reddit, Roblox Under Its Fold

Every day, tens of millions flock to Reddit for a friendly discussion (or heated argument). Tens of millions hop onto Roblox to socialize and play games built by other platform users. Tens of millions use ChatGPT to search and research – professionally and casually. Summed up, that’s more than two hundred million people daily being present across the three platforms.

And being influenced by them.

That’s massive user bases, massive scale of influence, and, according to the EU – massive risk to societal safety and well-being if left without oversight. Well, since August 2026, they’re not without oversight anymore.

How did the EU label ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox?

On August 31, 2026, the European Commission officially designated ChatGPT as a Very Large Online Search Engine (VLOSE), and Roblox and Reddit as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) under the Digital Services Act (DSA). 

What are VLOP and VLOSE? 

VLOP and VLOSE are EU DSA “labels” for digital services with massive European user bases (~10% of the EU population), defined as:

• VLOPs: hosting services that store and publicly disseminate user-generated content on a massive regional scale. Examples include social media networks (e.g., Facebook, TikTok), app stores (e.g., Apple App Store, Google Play Store), or online marketplaces (e.g., Amazon, eBay).
• VLOSEs are online search engines capable of reaching the same massive audience thresholds, with Google Search and Bing being the obvious examples.

Because of their scale and reach, these platforms have the power to heavily influence public opinion and user behavior, as well as amplify systemic societal risks that can cause real-world damage. For these reasons, services designated as VLOPs or VLOSEs trigger the EU’s strictest legal rules.

What are the qualifying criteria for VLOP/VLOSE?

Under the EU’s DSA, digital services that reach or exceed the defined User Threshold (45 million average monthly active users in the European Union) qualify for the VLOP or VLOSE designation. All three title platforms cleared the threshold:

• Reddit (VLOP): ~57.2 million MAU + disseminates third-party content to the public, specifically user posts and discussions.
• Roblox (VLOP): ~46.6 million MAU + disseminates third-party content to the public, specifically user-developed games.
• ChatGPT (VLOSE): ~159 million MAU + searches the live web in response to user requests.

What does meeting the DSA qualifying criteria mean?

Meeting the criteria means that all three platforms now face the strictest regulatory oversight, risk assessments, and transparency mandates to counter “systemic societal harms,” including the following risks:

• Illegal content distribution through their platforms;
• Negative effects on minors;
• Negative effects on users’ physical and mental well-being;
• Effects on fundamental rights, electoral processes, and public security;

In addition to overhauling their systems to assess and mitigate said risks, the companies will also have to establish independent annual audits and provide users with a chronological feed option that does not rely on profiling data.

The EU Commission will supervise DSA compliance in cooperation with Ireland’s Media Commission (Coimisiún na Meán) for ChatGPT and Reddit and the Netherlands’ Authority for Consumers and Markets (Autoriteit Consument & Markt) for Roblox.

Following the August 2026 designation, all three companies have until the end of December 2026 to come into full compliance with enhanced obligations, or risk incurring penalties of up to 6% of their global annual turnover.

Seth Matthews, an AI SEO content writer within ZeroClick Labs, began his career in civil engineering, but his passion for writing drove his deliberate transition into professional content strategy and SEO. The clash of two worlds produced a writer who can effortlessly combine technical precision and narrative clarity with the emotional and psychological impact of creative storytelling.