There are endless numbers of topics to have an interesting debate session. Presented below is a list of many interesting debate topics based on current as well as timeless subjects.
A debate is a mandatory and ‘must-have’ activity in many schools and colleges due to its many advantages. Firstly, it improves the skills of public speaking or oratory in students. Secondly, it helps to enhance other skills like research, ability to put forth one’s views and thoughts confidently. Thirdly, a good debate improves the speaker’s as well as the audiences’ knowledge on the subject. A debate is naturally one of the interesting activities in schools. So, if you are looking for topics for a healthy debate, you can go through the following list.
Interesting Debate Topics for High School
Current issues, fashion, social issues, environmental issues, etc., are considered as the interesting and most debatable topics because they are always popular. In the following topics’ list, one can either have a positive or a negative view (i.e., talk on the pros or the cons) on the same subject.
- Real alien sightings
- Are school uniforms good or bad
- Cross culture adoption
- Banning smoking in public places
- Should juveniles be tried as adults
- Ghosts are people without bodies
- How much is too much homework
- Are video games good for you
- Sex education for children
- Pros and cons of organic farming
- Is Hinduism really a religion
- Negative and positive effects of peer pressure
- Computer and video games: the pros and cons
- Does television affect your intelligence
- Pros and cons of standardized testing
- Can you change your habits
- Emotions as blocks or lessons
- How to prevent school violence
- Does music affect plant growth
- Effects of music on the mind and brain
- Spirituality: The key to problems of our age
- Dreams: links between real and imaginary worlds
- Existence of life on mars
- Should the drinking age be lowered
- Pros and cons of legalizing marijuana
- Global warming: fact or fiction
- Does food exert a role more than just satiating your hunger
- Are vampires real
- God: myth or reality
- Vending machines in schools: pros and cons
- Bilingual education pros and cons
- What is the importance of public opinion in media
- 2012 end of the world: Is the world going to end in 2012
- Media censorship: why is censorship good
- The influence of chat rooms on teenagers
- Afterlife: is there life after death
- Are mermaids real
Good Debate Topics
Contrary to the above ones, in the following topics, there are two different subject which can be compared and contrasted to debate. Each team has to choose a single subject (between the two) and speak about its pros or advantages over the other.
- LED vs LCD monitor
- Socialism vs capitalism
- Notebook vs laptop
- Football vs soccer
- Spirituality vs religion
- Homeschooling vs public school
- Organic milk vs regular milk
- Legal separation vs divorce
- Tenants in common vs joint tenancy
- American cars vs foreign cars
- Federalists vs anti-federalists
- Dictatorship vs democracy
- Debit card vs credit card
- Infatuation vs love
- Morals vs ethics
- Big government vs small government
Subjects for Debates
Now, here are some subjects which can help in creating interesting debate questions or issues. You can go through these topics and frame out your own debate questions.
- Oscars
- Dating
- Obesity
- Gambling
- Robotics
- TV Shows
- Acid Rain
- Astrology
- Holocaust
- Inflation
- Magazines
- Recycling
- Terrorism
- Euthanasia
- Friendship
- Gun Safety
- Infidelity
- Mass Media
- War Crimes
- Advertising
- Outsourcing
- Gene Therapy
- Human Rights
- Life on Mars
- Air Pollution
- Birth Control
- Death Penalty
- Deforestation
- Gay Marriages
- Globalization
- Homosexuality
- Human Cloning
- Organic Foods
- Relationships
- Animal Testing
- Drug Addiction
- Generation Gap
- Part-Time Jobs
- Beauty Pageants
- Noise Pollution
- Nuclear Weapons
- Teenage Smoking
- Water Pollution
- World Religions
- Cosmetic Surgery
- Internet Privacy
- Online Education
- Population Growth
- Social Networking
- Teenage Pregnancy
- Space Explorations
- Stem Cell Research
- Illegal Immigration
- Internet Technology
- Bluetooth Technology
- Environmental Issues
- Artificial Insemination
- Artificial Intelligence
- Employment Discrimination
- Unidentified Flying Objects
These topics can also be used for writing argumentative essays or speeches. If you are participating in a debate, make sure you read extensively on the subject, research, make quick notes, and go forward with confidence! Good luck!