• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer, 2 hours ago

ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox have joined ranks with companies like Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and TikTok that have already earned the designation of being large platforms by the European Union.

The announcement reclassifies how these U.S. technology companies must monitor their content, algorithms, and user safety protocols in the European market.

Why now? All three have surpassed 45 million monthly users in the European Union, allowing the European Commission (EC) to reclassify and officially categorize ChatGPT as a "very large online search engine" and label Reddit and Roblox as very "large online platforms."

It requires each of the companies operating in the EU to mitigate systemic risks and protect minors.

These designations give the European Commission investigative powers to assess the functions behind these services and any related system.

"The Commission will be competent to supervise compliance with the DSA, in cooperation with Coimisiún na Meán for ChatGPT, and the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) for Reddit and Roblox," according to the announcement. "These entities serve as the Digital Services Coordinators respectively for Ireland and for the Netherlands, where the designated services are established."

The European Commission describes ChatGPT as an AI system that can engage with and respond to users' prompts and queries, including by searching the web.

Reddit has been described as a "discussion-based platform" that allows users to create, share, and interact with content within topic-based communities, and Roblox has been described as an "immersive gaming and creation platform that enables users to create, publish, and play games developed by other users."

Part of the DSA ruling requires each service to be audited by a third-party auditor annually, share data with the Commission and national authorities, and open platform data to vetted researchers.

Services using recommender systems must offer an option that does not rely on profiling. Services that show ads must keep a public archive of each.

Spokespeople for OpenAI and Reddit told The Wall Street Journal that the companies were preparing to meet the compliance requirements that come with the designation and would coordinate with EU officials.

Joost Hagesteijn, Roblox’s General Manager for Europe, told the WSJ in a statement that safety was foundational to the company and that it would continue to engage constructively with the commission.

OpenAI reported that ChatGPT search had reached about 159.1 million average monthly active users in the EU during the six months ending March 31, 2026.

Reddit reported about 57.2 million monthly users for the first half of 2026, and Roblox estimated its average at 46.6 million.