ChatGPT and Roblox face EU’s toughest digital platform rules
Two of the world’s most widely used digital platforms — ChatGPT and Roblox — are set to fall under the European Union’s most stringent regulatory framework, a move that could reshape how both services operate across the 27-nation bloc. The European Commission is expected to formally designate them as Very Large Online Platforms or Very Large Online Search Engines under the Digital Services Act, triggering a demanding set of compliance obligations that neither company has faced before.
What the designation actually means
Being classified under the DSA’s strictest tier isn’t just a bureaucratic label. It comes with real teeth. Companies that cross the threshold of 45 million monthly active users in the EU are subject to mandatory risk assessments, independent audits, transparency reporting, and direct oversight from the European Commission itself. Non-compliance can result in fines of up to 6 percent of global annual turnover — a figure that, for OpenAI and Roblox’s parent company, could run into hundreds of millions of dollars.
So far, the list of designated platforms has included the obvious giants: Meta, Google, TikTok, Amazon. Adding ChatGPT marks the first time a generative AI chatbot has been pulled into this regulatory category, a signal that Brussels isn’t treating AI assistants any differently from social networks or search engines when it comes to potential societal risk.
Why regulators are moving now
ChatGPT’s explosive growth in Europe is the driving factor. OpenAI’s flagship product reportedly surpassed the 45 million EU user threshold sometime in 2024, making designation essentially inevitable. Roblox, which counts tens of millions of younger users — many of them minors — has similarly been on regulators’ radar over concerns about child safety, advertising practices, and virtual currency systems.
A senior EU official familiar with the designation process said the Commission’s approach has been consistent: “If a platform reaches the scale where it can influence public discourse or harm vulnerable users, the rules apply — full stop. The technology behind it doesn’t change that calculus.”
Industry reaction has been cautious
Neither OpenAI nor Roblox issued immediate public statements responding to the expected designations. But it’s worth watching how they respond internally. Companies designated under the DSA’s top tier must appoint a legal representative in the EU, share data with researchers, and publish detailed transparency reports twice a year. That’s a significant operational lift, especially for OpenAI, which is still building out its European infrastructure.
Still, some analysts say the companies were never going to avoid this moment.
What comes next
Once officially designated, both companies will have four months to achieve full DSA compliance. The European Commission has shown it’s willing to act against non-compliant platforms — it opened formal proceedings against X, formerly Twitter, in 2023 and against TikTok in 2024. Regulators aren’t expected to extend much patience here.
With the EU’s AI Act also moving toward full implementation, 2025 is shaping up to be the year that the bloc’s regulatory ambitions finally collide head-on with the AI industry’s rapid expansion.
