The European Commission announced Sunday that it has formally designated ChatGPT as a Very Large Online Search Engine, and both Reddit and Roblox as Very Large Online Platforms, under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
According to the Commission’s press release, all three services reported reaching at least 45 million average monthly users in the EU, clearing the threshold that triggers the designation.
The new classification means that the platforms have until Dec. 31 to meet the DSA’s additional requirements for platforms of this size. These include assessing and mitigating risks tied to illegal content, harm to minors, users’ physical and mental wellbeing, fundamental rights, elections, and public security, per the Commission.
EU says Meta hasn’t done enough to prevent minors under 13 from using Instagram and Facebook
The Commission explained its reasoning for each service individually. ChatGPT, described as an AI system capable of responding to prompts and searching the web, qualifies as a “hybrid service” that meets the DSA’s definition of an online search engine.
Mashable Light Speed
Roblox was described as an immersive gaming and creation platform where users build, publish, and play games made by other users. Reddit was categorized as a discussion-based platform where users create and interact with content inside topic-focused communities. Because both enable the public spread of third-party content, the Commission classified them as online platforms rather than search engines.
With these designations, the Commission gains new investigative authority to examine the functionality of these services and any related systems, and will oversee DSA compliance in partnership with national regulators where each company is legally established in the EU. For ChatGPT and Reddit, it’ll be Ireland’s Coimisiún na Meán; for Roblox, it’s the Netherlands’ Authority for Consumers and Markets.
“Reddit is committed to complying with the EU Digital Services Act,” a spokesperson for the company told Mashable through email. “We’ve been preparing to meet the VLOP requirements and look forward to coordinating with EU regulators while providing transparency for Reddit users.”
All three services were already subject to the DSA’s baseline rules for platforms and search engines before Sunday’s announcement. The new designation adds them to a growing list of 28 very large online platforms and search engines that have now been designated under the law overall.
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.
