ChatGPT, Roblox to face EU’s strictest platform rules

OpenAI's ChatGPT and Roblox ↗ 0.17% are set to be designated as "very large online platforms" under the European Union's Digital Services Act, subjecting both services to the bloc's most demanding content moderation and transparency requirements after each surpassed the threshold of 45 million monthly users in the EU.

Designation Expected as Soon as August

The European Commission will classify the two U.S. technology companies under the DSA's strictest tier as soon as August, according to a person familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg. The designation places ChatGPT and Roblox alongside established tech giants already regulated under the framework, including Meta Platforms ↘ 1.38% and X.marketscreener+1

Once classified, both companies must file transparency reports, detail risk mitigation plans, and pay an annual supervisory fee to the European Commission. Companies that breach the DSA risk fines of as much as 6 percent of their annual global sales.straitstimes

A European Commission spokesperson declined to comment on the timing of the decision.straitstimes

A Long Road to Designation

The designation follows months of regulatory deliberation. OpenAI disclosed in October 2025 that ChatGPT's search feature had reached approximately 120.4 million average monthly active users in the EU, nearly triple the 45-million threshold. By March 2026, that figure had grown to roughly 159.1 million. Reuters reported in April 2026 that the Commission was actively assessing whether ChatGPT qualified for classification.reuters+1

Roblox, meanwhile, reported 33.8 million average monthly EU users as of February 2025, below the threshold at that time. The company's user base has evidently grown past the 45-million mark in subsequent months, triggering the pending designation.roblox

What Comes Next

Under DSA rules, designated platforms have four months after formal notification to comply with additional obligations. These include conducting systemic risk assessments, ensuring transparency around advertising and recommendation algorithms, and submitting to independent audits. The framework places particular emphasis on protecting children online, an area where Roblox has already faced scrutiny from regulators in the United Kingdom and the United States.computing+1

ChatGPT's designation would make it the first standalone AI service formally subject to the DSA's systemic risk regime, setting a precedent for how generative AI tools are regulated alongside traditional social media platforms.techpolicy