The European Union has designated ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox as very large online platforms, a move that brings them under stricter oversight under the Digital Services Act. Each platform surpassed 45 million monthly users in the bloc, the threshold that triggers the designation. The new status means they'll have to conduct risk assessments, improve transparency, and face more scrutiny over how they handle content and algorithms.
The 45 million threshold
The DSA sets a hard line: any online platform with more than 45 million average monthly users in the EU qualifies as a very large online platform, or VLOP. That's roughly 10% of the bloc's population. ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox all crossed that line, and the European Commission confirmed the designations this week. It's a significant expansion of EU regulatory reach, pulling in an AI chatbot, a discussion forum, and a gaming platform alongside the usual social media suspects.
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What the DSA demands
Being a VLOP comes with real obligations. These platforms now have to identify and assess systemic risks tied to their services — think illegal content, disinformation, and harms to public security or health. They'll need to put mitigation measures in place, publish transparency reports, and open up their algorithms to outside scrutiny. For ChatGPT, that could mean disclosing details about model training and data sources. For Reddit and Roblox, it means policing user-generated content more aggressively. The EU has been clear that non-compliance can lead to fines of up to 6% of global turnover.
The crypto spillover
None of these three are crypto platforms, but the designation could still ripple through the digital asset world. Reddit has experimented with tokenized rewards, and Roblox runs a virtual economy with its own currency. Under the DSA, those features could be swept into systemic risk assessments. If the EU decides those tokens function like financial instruments, they might trigger KYC and AML rules, or even fall under MiCA. That's a longer-term question, but it sets a precedent for how any platform with a token economy gets treated. Crypto exchanges with similar user counts in the EU should also be watching — the DSA doesn't care if you're a social network or a trading venue.
What happens now
The three platforms have a few months to get their compliance in order. They'll need to publish their first transparency reports and conduct initial risk assessments. The European Commission will be watching closely, and any gaps could bring fines or forced changes. For ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox, the era of light-touch oversight in the EU is over. The clock is ticking.
