Roblox is now subject to the European Union’s strictest online safety rules. Brussels named the gaming platform a very large online platform under the bloc’s Digital Services Act. OpenAI‘s ChatGPT and Reddit received the same designation on the same day. All three companies now have four months to meet a new set of compliance obligations. Non-compliance can bring fines of up to 6% of their global annual revenue.
The European Commission labels any online service with more than 45 million monthly users in the EU as a very large online platform, or VLOP. A similarly sized search engine becomes a very large online search engine, or VLOSE. That status brings extra requirements. Platforms must adopt clearer terms and conditions, improve ad transparency, and set up a dedicated point of contact for regulators and users. They must also report criminal offences and carry out regular risk assessments covering health, safety, and the spread of illegal content.
Roblox Digital Services Act rules take effect within four months
Roblox is widely used by children and teenagers. It must now identify and address systemic risks tied to its service. The same framework already applies to X, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, LinkedIn, and TikTok. The three new additions bring the total number of designated VLOPs and VLOSEs to 28.
Ireland’s Coimisiún na Meán will hold direct oversight of ChatGPT and Reddit. Both companies base their EU operations in the country. The designation also expands the European Commission’s investigative powers. Regulators can now examine more closely how each platform operates for users inside the bloc, and they can demand documentation on how each service manages risk.
EU has already fined other platforms under the DSA
The Digital Services Act has been in force since 2024. The European Commission has opened multiple investigations under it since then. Penalties issued so far against X, Temu, and AliExpress add up to nearly €900 million combined. That gives Roblox, OpenAI, and Reddit a clear sense of what non-compliance can cost.
“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 Henna Virkkunen, the EU’s executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy.
“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,” Virkkunen said.
Roblox, OpenAI, and Reddit now have until the end of the year to show regulators how they plan to comply. None of the three companies has issued a public response to the designation so far. The European Commission has not said which platform it expects to review first.