100+ Debate Topics for High School and College Students

In a debate, a number of people, often students, participate to argue on a topic in a formal manner. Recent studies show that debates play an important role in brushing up a student’s communication, critical thinking, and persuasion skills. Apart from polishing mentioned skills, debate also helps to develop public speaking skills, increase confidence, and boost self-esteem of a student; which eventually make him/her a better person. Therefore, there is no reason to say ‘NO’ to debates in schools and colleges. Here in this post, you will see 100+ debate topics for high school and college students.

You may consider it as a supplement that is not mandatory but if added can make life better.

Nowadays, debates have also become a crucial part of many job selection processes for example for banking and defense. And of course, debate topics for high school students are immensely important.

Here are some benefits of conducting a debate competition:

• It gives an opportunity to students to research on a topic and collect compelling evidence to reasonably prove their standpoint.
• Obviously, if a student succeeds in proving his/her point then it’ll boost his/her confidence.
• If he/she fails then it’ll give him/her another opportunity to research more and come-up with undeniable facts.
• Since student is engaging with more than one students therefore it’ll help him/her develop public speaking and communication skills.
• With time student will be able to express his/her thoughts in more organized and persuasive manner.
• As said, “You cannot become a good speaker without being a good listener” so by participating in debates a student listens to other students’ opinions and this way his/her listening skills improve.

From above points, it’s crystal clear that debate topics for high school and college students are very important.

Here are some tips to conduct a healthy debate:

Sometimes in debates students could respond sarcastically so before starting a debate tell your students in a humorous way that this is just a debate not two neighbors verbal fight. Here are some tips to conduct a healthy debate:

• Pick a structured and formal debate topic for your high school students that indeed fulfills the purpose of debate.
• Introduce topic of debate and also tell them rules that they’re supposed to follow.
• Divide your students into two groups or more if required. Make one the affirmative and another the negative. The affirmative group will stand for the issue and the negative will argue against it.
• As expected, give both groups some time for preparation so they can effectively present their facts and argues.
• Once debate begins, make sure both groups’ students participate equally. If you find a student hesitating to participate then interrupt and wisely try to involve him/her into the debate. For example you can ask him/her about his/her opinion but don’t force this may further increase student’s fear.
• As mentioned earlier, if debate is becoming personal then it’s your time to jump in and without directly pointing any student divert topic.
• Now after hearing both sides, announce your judgement which should be in favor of group who has strongly presented the facts and argues.

Next are some interesting debate topics for high school as well as college students.

100+ Debate Topics for High School Students

The following listicle contains 100+ debate topics for high school students. Some topics are also appropriate for middle school classrooms. Choose one topic that seems perfect for your students and also you’re interested in.

1. Is artificial intelligence a biggest threat to human existence? (Hint: Stephen Hawking considered Artificial Intelligence as threat to humanity)
2. Is banning cryptocurrencies the solution?
3. Should we remove all borders and let people go wherever they would like to?
4. How would humanity change if we found aliens?
5. Where do you prefer to live in, in a democratic country or in an autocratic country?
6. World War III will be fought over water. Do you agree with this statement?
7. Industrialization is responsible for global warming. Do you agree or disagree?
8. Government is not doing appreciable work to control global warming. Do you agree or disagree?
9. Yoga should be a part of our daily life. Do you agree?
10. Nations should stop making nuclear weapons.
11. Does time come to use bicycles instead of automobiles to reduce green house gases?
12. Buying things on EMI (Equated monthly Installment) is good or bad for an individual?
13. Credit cards make us extravagant.
14. Old age homes should be in our society. Do you agree or not?
15. Should we ban school Uniform?
16. Should mercy killing be legalized?
17. Gambling and casinos should be banned.
18. What is more important in a School: library or Sports club?
19. Which is better to live: paying guest or hostel?
20. Housewives are better mothers than working women.
21. Which is better joint family or nuclear family?
22. Should we allow children to go on a school trip?
23. Which is a better option for vacation going to a hill station or some other place?
24. Is technology bad for us?
25. Is anti-dowry law good or bad?
26. Should animal testing be banned?
27. Should we ban cosmetic surgery?
28. Social networking sites are good or bad?
29. Are single sex schools a good idea?
30. Are day boarding schools good for children?
31. Is advertisement good or bad?
32. Which is a better option to clean teeth: twig/chewing stick or toothpaste?
33. Television is not longer an idiot box.
34. Films are corrupting the youth.
35. Where should government spend more money on defense or health?
36. Reality television has negative effects on society.
37. Is internet good or bad for our society?
38. School homework should be banned.
39. Practical knowledge is more important than theoretical knowledge.
40. Junk food should be banned in schools.
41. We should not waste money on beauty products.
42. Higher education should be free for everyone. Do you agree or not?
43. Inter caste marriage is a good way to create equality in society.
44. Does reservation system create more inequality?
45. Reservation system should be there or not?
46. Capital punishment should be banned.
47. Should alcohol be banned?
48. Teaching is a boring profession. Do you agree or not?
49. Is arrange marriage better than love marriage?
50. Should girls be given the same freedom and rights as boys?
51. Marrying to a housewife is better than working woman.
52. Which is a better option job or business?
53. Should people be allowed to own guns?
54. Sex education should be taught in schools.
55. Is it important to have a canteen in the school?
56. Are girls better than boys?
57. Should lotteries be banned?
58. Is cricket as a career good or bad?
59. Should cricket (or another sport) be the national game of our country?
60. Is it bad to have tattoos?
61. Is fast food bad for us?
62. Should religion be taught in schools?
63. Is it cruel to keep animals in zoos?
64. Which is a better source of knowledge television or newspaper?
65. Which is a reliable source of knowledge television or books?
66. Hollywood movies are good or bad?
67. Which are good movies: Hollywood movies or Bollywood movies?
68. Which is a better option for shopping: shopping-malls, online shopping or retailer shops?
69. Should exams be abolished from schools?
70. Mobile phones should be allowed in schools.
71. Smartphones are making us less social.
72. Should all people be vegetarian?
73. Spending money on expensive flagship smartphones does not make sense.
74. Democracy is better than autocracy.
75. Can we make our country tax-free?
76. Taking loan from bank for personal needs is good or bad?
77. Mothers are better parents than fathers.
78. Same sex marriage is acceptable.
79. Who influences more on children parents or television?
80. Which is more important love or money?
81. Politics as a career is a good choice.
82. Can war be a good thing?
83. Does religion cause war?
84. Who are more hardworking: men or women?
85. Are private teachers more hardworking than public school teachers?
86. Who are more hardworking: government employees or private employees?
87. Football is a better game than cricket. Do you agree or not?
88. Should voters be given ‘NOTA’ (none of the above) option in voting?
89. Providing mid-day meal in schools is good for children or not?
90. We cannot stop child labor. Do you agree or not?
91. Should video games be banned?
92. Should students be allowed to sit in exams if they have less than 75% attendance?
93. Should boxing be banned?
94. Do cartoons have a bad effect on children?
95. Animals performance should be banned in circuses.
96. Spending more money on shopping is good or bad?
97. Does online shopping make us extravagant?
98. We should only use plastic money (debit cards, credit cards etc).
99. Should we change our national language?
100. Is debate helpful for students?
101. Which is more effective way of learning: online or classroom learning?
102. Which is better home schooling or studying at school?
103. Human cloning must be banned.
104. Automation increases unemployment.
105. Video games make us violent.
106. Parents should be allowed to choose their baby’s gender
107. Is Mars future home of humans?
108. Is technology killing our ecosystem?
109. Should abortion be legal?
110. Is online banking safe?
111. Should we go abroad for further studies?
112. Should animals be used in medical research?
113. Who should be our role models: celebrities or athletes?
114. Life after death is real.
115. Should we lower the voting age?
116. Is the death penalty justified?
117. Which is more important: talent or hard work?

I assume you found these debate topics for high school helpful. You can pick any of the above topics for your students. Don’t forget to bookmark this page because we regularly add new topics to this list.