---
title: "EU Equates ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox to Google and TikTok: What Will Change for Users and Companies"
description: "The European Commission has designated ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox as very large platforms under the DSA after they crossed the 45-million-user threshold in the EU. The companies have been given until the end of December 2026 to bring their operations into compliance; fines can reach 6% of global turnover."
date: 2026-09-01T08:16:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/eu-dsa-chatgpt-reddit-roblox-enhanced-oversight
tags: [eu-dsa, chatgpt, reddit, roblox, openai, european-commission, ai-regulation, digital-services-act]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# EU Equates ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox to Google and TikTok: What Will Change for Users and Companies

![European Union flags against a blue sky: EU brings ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox under the same rules as Google and TikTok](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/01/es-dsa-chatgpt-reddit-roblox-usileniy-kontrol/es-dsa-chatgpt-reddit-roblox-usileniy-kontrol-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox crossed the 45-million active-user threshold in the EU and were granted very large platform status under the DSA
- ChatGPT was classified as a "very large online search engine," while Reddit and Roblox were classified as "very large online platforms"
- The companies have been given until the end of December 2026 to meet the new obligations; fines can reach 6% of global turnover
- The decision extends the practice of applying the DSA to generative AI against the backdrop of the AI Act entering into force

The European Commission has officially designated ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox as "very large" digital platforms under the Digital Services Act (DSA), thereby including the three services among those subject to the regulator's strictest requirements. The decision, reported by RBC-Ukraine citing the text of the regulatory document, means that OpenAI, Reddit, and Roblox are now required to comply with the same accountability standards as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, Amazon, and the App Store. European Commission Vice-President for Democracy Virkkunen stated that the services "will be subject to the highest standard of due diligence and accountability in the European Union in line with their significant impact on our citizens and society," adding that Brussels "will not hesitate to grant this status to any platform that meets the criteria."

### The 45-Million Threshold: How the Services Came Under Enhanced Oversight

The key basis for the decision was the achievement by all three platforms of the legislatively defined threshold of 45 million active users per month within the European Union. It is precisely this metric, enshrined in the DSA text, that serves as the trigger for automatically placing a platform under enhanced oversight by the European Commission. Crossing the threshold means that the regulator gains expanded powers to monitor the service's activities, demand reports on systemic risks, and, where necessary, apply sanctions. As a result, ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox have ceased to be "ordinary" online services from the perspective of European law and have entered the exclusive club of the continent's largest digital actors.

### Classification: Why ChatGPT Is a "Search Engine" While Reddit and Roblox Are "Platforms"

Under the DSA, each service received a detailed legal qualification. ChatGPT was recognized as a "Very Large Online Search Engine" — a status previously held exclusively by Google Search and Microsoft Bing. Reddit and Roblox were granted the status of "Very Large Online Platforms," joining the list alongside Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, Amazon, and the App Store. The classification of OpenAI's chatbot was the result of lengthy internal discussions within the European Commission: the DSA was adopted in 2022, when the mass adoption of generative AI had not yet occurred, and the regulator had to adapt existing legal categories to the realities of a new technological era. The decision on ChatGPT effectively extends the practice of applying the DSA to AI services — it is worth recalling that the EU is currently investigating X's Grok chatbot.

### Four Months to Adapt: What Obligations Have Been Imposed on the Companies

The new status imposes a range of strict obligations on OpenAI, Reddit, and Roblox, for which the companies have been given a four-month deadline — until the end of December 2026. Among the key requirements: the prompt detection and removal of illegal content; the protection of minors, including ensuring the privacy, physical, and mental well-being of children and adolescents; regular assessment of systemic risks, including algorithmic ones — the spread of disinformation, threats to citizens' fundamental rights, the destructive impact on electoral processes, and public safety; as well as algorithmic transparency, meaning the disclosure of details on how recommendation systems and data-processing mechanisms work. Failure to meet these requirements carries fines of up to 6 percent of the offending company's annual global turnover — a sanction comparable to those already applied against other platforms.

### Industry Reaction and the Context of Enforcement Practice

Representatives of the technology companies reacted to the decision in a restrained, positive manner. OpenAI expressed its readiness to comply with the additional requirements of EU legislation. Reddit noted that it had been preparing in advance for obtaining very large platform status and expects constructive coordination with the regulators. Roblox expressed "pride" at being the first gaming platform to reach the 45-million-user mark in the EU, emphasizing that "safety is the foundation of the service's work." The decision on the three new platforms fits into the European Commission's overall line of strict enforcement practice: in December, X was fined 120 million euros for misleading users with "blue check" verification marks and insufficient transparency in advertising; in July, the Chinese marketplace AliExpress received a fine of 550 million euros for inadequate efforts to combat the sale of illegal goods; TikTok has faced claims over the use of infinite scrolling, autoplay, and push notifications, deemed potentially harmful. At the same time as the DSA is being strengthened in Europe, the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) is entering into force, and antitrust investigations — in particular, into Google's use of AI-generated reviews — continue, forming a multi-level system of regulation of the digital ecosystem.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [The EU Tightens the Screws: ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox Now Under Enhanced Oversight](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/es-zakruchue-gayki-chatgpt-reddit-i-roblox-1788248827.html) - Первичный источник: текст документа, классификация, цитата Виркунен, дедлайн до конца декабря 2026, штрафы до 6%, реакции компаний, контекст штрафов X и AliExpress
- [ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox Will Fall Under EU Rules on Content Control](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B0/20260831-chatgpt-reddit-%D0%B8-roblox-%D0%B1%D1%83%D0%B4%D1%83%D1%82-%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%8C-%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B4-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B0-%D0%B5%D1%81-%D0%BF%D0%BE-%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%82%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8E-%D0%B7%D0%B0-%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BC) - Корреспондирует с основным нарративом: три платформы подпадают под DSA-контроль, дата публикации 31.08.2026
- [ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox Have Been Granted "Very Large Platform" Status in the EU: What Will Change](https://zn.ua/TECHNOLOGIES/chatgpt-reddit-i-roblox-poluchili-status-ochen-krupnykh-platform-v-es-chto-izmenitsja.html) - Подтверждает факт присвоения статуса и описание изменений для пользователей
- [The EU Has Required ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox to Comply with the New Digital Services Act](https://overclockers.ru/blog/Nacvark/show/262861/V-ES-obyazali-ChatGPT-Reddit-i-Roblox-sledovat-novomu-zakonu-o-cifrovyh-uslugah) - Дополнительное подтверждение факта обязательного следования DSA

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Why have ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox come under enhanced EU oversight?
**A:** All three services crossed the regulatory threshold of 45 million active users per month within the European Union. This figure is enshrined in the Digital Services Act (DSA) and automatically places a platform under enhanced oversight by the European Commission.

### Q: What exact status did ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox receive?
**A:** ChatGPT was recognized as a "Very Large Online Search Engine" — before this, only Google Search and Microsoft Bing held that status. Reddit and Roblox were granted the status of "Very Large Online Platforms," joining Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, Amazon, and the App Store.

### Q: How much time do the companies have to bring their operations into compliance?
**A:** OpenAI, Reddit, and Roblox have four months — until the end of December 2026 — to meet the new obligations, including the removal of illegal content, the protection of minors, the assessment of systemic risks, and algorithmic transparency.

### Q: What fines are threatened for violating the DSA requirements?
**A:** The European Commission is empowered to impose fines of up to 6 percent of the offending company's annual global turnover. For comparison: in July 2026, AliExpress received a fine of 550 million euros, and in December, X was fined 120 million euros.

### Q: How did the companies themselves react?
**A:** OpenAI declared its readiness to comply with the additional requirements. Reddit stated that it had been preparing in advance for the status and expects constructive coordination. Roblox expressed pride at becoming the first gaming platform to reach the threshold in the EU and emphasized the priority of safety.