Reddit, ChatGPT and Roblox must meet new EU DSA obligations by January 2027

• The European Commission has designated Reddit, ChatGPT and Roblox as Very Large Online Platforms.
• They have four months to comply with additional DSA obligations.

The European Commission has designated Reddit, ChatGPT and Roblox as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) under the Digital Services Act.

As a result, the three have until January 2027 to comply with additional DSA obligations such as assessing and mitigating risks that may stem from their services and systems. This particularly refers to users' physical and mental wellbeing, as well as mitigating negative effects on minors and the dissemination of illegal content.

Assessing and addressing systemic risks around public security, electoral processes and fundamental rights will also be necessary.

Great responsibility

ChatGPT, Roblox and Reddit meet the threshold for VLOPs based on declarations that each reaches at least 45 million monthly average users in the EU.

The European Commission will gain investigative power as a result, able to assess functionalities behind these services and related systems where applicable.

Notably, the commission will supervise compliance in cooperation with Coimisiún na Meán for ChatGPT and with the Authority for Consumers and Markets for Reddit and Roblox.

This is because ChatGPT qualifies as an online search engine under the DSA, while Reddit and Roblox class as online platforms where users can share third-party content publicly.

The three services were already subject to general obligations in these categories under the DSA, but will soon be counted among the VLOPs. A total 28 very large online platforms and search engines have been designated under the DSA so far.

"These new designations mean that ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox will now be held to a higher standard of scrutiny and accountability in the European Union, in line with their large impact on our citizens and society," said European Commission EVP for tech sovereignty, security and democracy Henna Virkkunen.

"We continue to watch the digital landscape closely and will not hesitate to designate any platform that meets the threshold for enhanced supervision under the Digital Services Act."