ChatGPT to face tougher regulation in the EU

The EU designated ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox as ‘Very Large’ under the Digital Services Act.

by Emma Roth

Aug 31, 2026, 1:27 PM UTC

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge

Emma Roth is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.

OpenAI will soon be held accountable for mitigating risks related to ChatGPT’s impact on minors, user mental health, and the spread of illegal content in the European Union. That’s because ChatGPT is now considered a Very Large Online Search Engine under the EU’s Digital Services Act, a set of laws regulating major online services and platforms.

Along with ChatGPT, the European Commission also announced that Reddit and Roblox are considered Very Large Online Platforms, subjecting them to the same rules. The DSA restricts platforms from targeting ads to minors or using a person’s sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, or political beliefs. It requires them to provide more transparency about how their recommendation algorithms work, too.

Under the DSA, online platforms and search engines are considered “Very Large” once they reach at least 45 million average monthly users in the EU. ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox have until the end of December 2026 to comply with the rules.

“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,” Henna Virkkunen, EU executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, says in the announcement.

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