Organizing engaging and captivating debate topics for high school pupils can be challenging. You have to look at some criteria before choosing the best debate topic. For instance, you may ask yourself the following questions:
- Will the high schoolers be able to speak extensively or at length about the debate topic?
- Will the debate topic interest the high schoolers?
- Will the high schoolers find it difficult or easy enough to research on the debate topic?
So how do you know you have found the perfect debate topic for high school pupil? For one, if the debate topic is easy to comprehend and define, but complex to provoke an extensive and lengthy discussion about it. This is why this article exists. We want you to see more than a hundred of the greatest, most relevant and most exciting debate topics you can use in a high school environment. You will find debate topics that are linked with education, Technology, politics and much more.
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Why are high school debates important?
High school debates are an excellent tool for catching the interests of students and making the classroom enjoyable. Debates can groom your students’ critical thinking ability, allowing them to think more logically and creatively. Through debates, high schoolers can begin to think rationally, educating them on community service and citizenship. Debates build public speaking skills and the ability of students to make convincing arguments. High school debates can push students to think deeper and groom them in researching and organizing.
An excellent debate topic is not generic; neither is it cliched nor trigger bias. High school debates will provide the student with the freedom to engage intellectually with their peers.
Here are ten importance of debates for high school students:
- It boosts their critical thinking ability.
- It allows the high schoolers to become more confident with public speaking.
- It boosts the ability to retain information.
- It increases the listening and note-taking habit.
- Debates better teamwork skills and help in making collaborations.
- It also helps to frame and organize thoughts more rationally.
- It boosts the morale of the classroom and creates an atmosphere of excitement.
100+ Great Debate Topics for High School
Crucial debate topics for 2021
- Public college should be tuition-free.
- All teachers should get tenure.
- All school districts should offer school vouchers.
- The sale of human organs should be legalized.
- Birth control should be for sale over the counter.
- Net neutrality should be restored.
- Alternative energy can effectively replace fossil fuels.
- Cell phone radiation is dangerous and should be limited.
- Euthanasia should be banned.
- The drinking age should be 18.
- Vaping should be banned.
- All high school athletes should be drug tested.
- Detention should be abolished.
Most Interesting Debate Topics for Teens
- The minimum wage for all countries should be the same.
- Parents should not hit children in front of others.
- Censorship is necessary for the media.
- Passion or patriotism can be harmful in certain situations.
- Effects of social media on teenagers.
- Social media is a cause of increasing depression among the youth.
- The use of drugs should be considered a mental issue.
- How is peer pressure different from bullying?
- How are humans destroying the habitat of animals?
- Being too religious can be dangerous.
- Can people save nature by using technology?
- Are student loans exploitative?
- How secure is mobile banking?
Humourous Debate Topics for high school
- Women are much more complicated than men.
- Which one is better? Eat to live or live to eat?
- Children should not be allowed to watch cartoons as they portray violence.
- Why can men date younger women but women can’t date younger men?
- Are there some discrete messages in nursery rhymes?
- Morals or money? Which one is necessary to survive?
- Which gender is better? Male or female?
- How does sunlight affect vampires?
- Can vampires get AIDS?
- How will life be after death?
- Barbie is a good role model for young girls.
- Do fairy tales affect children’s reality perception?
- Has the #MeToo movement gone too far?
Highly engaging and intellectual debate topics
- Is sex education necessary for middle school students?
- Nuclear powers are the major cause of wars.
- Same-sex marriage should not be allowed.
- Gay relationships are against nature.
- Students are becoming way too dependent on technology.
- Money is a major source of motivation in the workplace.
- Girls should be encouraged and supported to enter the STEM research field.
- Is money a key factor in getting exoneration from crimes?
- Alternative energy resources should be explored and used to preserve natural resources.
- Censorship should be made less lenient for educational documentaries
- Gay couples should be allowed to adopt children.
- The sale of fur must be banned.
- Reality television is harming society.
Generic or non-restrictive debate topics
- Should we ban homework: does homework promote learning?
- How essential is a college education?
- Banning mobile devices (cell phones, smartphones) at schools: yes or no?
- Is it appropriate to allow students to create their own curricula?
- Is abortion murder?
- Are violent video games appropriate entertainment for teenagers?
- Does social media contribute to teenage suicide?
- Does modern social media make people less socially active?
- How should modern society respond to teenage pregnancies?
- Is higher education a necessary prerequisite for an individual’s financial success in the future?
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Education centred debate topics
- Are private schools better than public schools?
- Should education be privatized entirely?
- Are student loans exploitative?
- Does the traditional classroom address contemporary society’s needs?
- Is allowing teachers to carry guns on campuses a good idea?
- Does the contemporary grading system work?
- Should college education be compulsory?
- Is it appropriate to teach religion in schools?
- Is homeschooling better than a public or private school education?
- Is it fair to require that all students learn at least one foreign language?
Debate topics relating to social issues
- Does the contemporary policing of marginalized communities in the United States contribute to the criminalization of youth?
- Should the death penalty be abolished in the United States?
- Is it ethical to have an abortion in the early stages of pregnancy?
- Does peer pressure absolve delinquent teens from capability?
- Will electronic databases fully substitute brick and mortar libraries?
- Is cloning ethically acceptable?
- Is the legalization of marijuana a food idea?
- Should euthanasia be legalized?
- Is there any reason to raise minimum wages?
- Drug addicts: Do they need help or punishment?
- Is nationalism beneficial or dangerous in the context of globalization?
Debate topics relating to Environmental Issues
- Is climate change already irreversible?
- Banning plastic bags and packaging: yes or no?
- Are genetically modified foods a viable solution?
- Banning zoos: yes or no?
- How does tourism affect the environment?
- Should there be more national parks in the United States?
- Is banning fracking a good idea?
- All people should become vegetarian.
- What is organic farming’s role in agriculture’s future?
- Are live animal exports ethically acceptable?
Debate Topics related to politics and government
- Political campaigns should not be allowed to accept money from.
- Democracy is the best form of government.
- Is it appropriate for governments to limit their citizens’ freedom of speech?
- Are taxes that increase at accelerating rates fair?
- Limiting terms for U.S. senators and representatives brings more harm than good.
- Former offenders should preserve their voting rights.
- Modern patterns of incarceration that affect minorities more than whites contribute to racial inequality in the U.S.
- Is it necessary for a political leader to be active on social media?
- Is the U.S. Constitution a living document?
- Should the Supreme Court judges be appointed for predetermined fixed periods?
Debate topics related to parenting and family
- Should children use smartphones without parental supervision?
- Teenage girls having access to birth control without parental supervision: yes or no?
- Should parents decide which career their children will pursue?
- Parents always treat their children fairly: yes or no?
- Is it ethically permissible for parents to pick the genders of their future children?
- Gay couples are adopting children: pros and cons.
- Should parents control their children’s activities on social media?
- Is parental supervision the same as parental control?
- Teenage children and completely autonomous decision-making: should parents allow this?
- Is parental support essential for the future success of children?
Debate topics related to Technology
- Will technology make people smarter?
- Is artificial intelligence dangerous?
- Will robots increase people’s quality of life?
- How do technological advances influence us?
- Will humans colonize another planet soon?
- Can all cars become electric?
- Does Technology intensify human communication?
- Recent developments in Technology transform people’s interests: yes or no?
- Can people save nature using Technology (or destroy it)?
- Do laws effectively keep up with changes in Technology?
Debate topics related to healthcare and medicine
- Justifying the legalization of recreational marijuana: yes or no?
- Is mandatory vaccination constitutional?
- Alternative medicine and its impact on the future of healthcare.
- Does Technology promote our health?
- Modern healthcare and antibiotics.
- Is drug legalization a good idea?
- Does globalization promote universal healthcare?
- Should healthcare services for all citizens be fully funded by the government?
- Should the government be allowed to force parents to take their sick children to the hospital?
- Can competition improve the quality of healthcare services?
Debate topics related to relaxation and leisure
- Is a summer vacation better than a winter vacation?
- Encouraging teenagers to read books: are the outcomes encouraging?
- Has technology changed the way young people spend their leisure time?
- Has social media taken over our leisure time?
- Can daily leisure time be a substitute for a yearly vacation?
- Is leisure time essential for workplace effectiveness?
- Playing video games during leisure time: pros and cons.
- Has work-life balance changed with the advent of Technology?
- Has globalization and our increased mobility changed the way we view vacations?
- Women spend their leisure time differently than men.
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Debate topics related to money and finance
- Can the U.S. government ensure the country’s financial stability?
- How secure is mobile banking?
- Does the credit industry promote or hinder economic development?
- Is there any economic justification for wars?
- Should wealthy people pay higher taxes than the poor?
- How would lowering the voting age impact America’s future?
- Mass incarceration and its impact on U.S. politics.
- Mandatory financial education: pros and cons.
- Should online financial advice be available for every citizen?
- Can high profitability alone justify environmentally hazardous practices?
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Debate topics related to history
- History is an important subject that all students should learn: yes or no?.
- Is King Arthur a real historical figure or myth?
- Knowledge of history enriches one’s worldview: yes or no?
- What role did Britain play during the First World War?
- How have different historians interpreted World War Two?
- Was there any justification for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the U.S.?
- How should we interpret the Revolutionary War?
- Ancient Roman culture versus contemporary culture.
- History & its impact on the future.
- Modern interracial conflicts evaluated from a historical perspective.
Debate topics related to trivia and fun
- Are men stronger than women?
- Daydreaming versus dreaming at night: which is better?
- Communication between the sexes: do men and women have different approaches?
- Choosing the best pizza topping: healthy versus tasty.
- Do fairy tales affect children’s perception of reality?
- Is living together before marriage appropriate nowadays?
- Should teenagers get after-school jobs?
- Gender and life expectancy: what factors explain life expectancy gaps?
- From a historical perspective, are women smarter than men?
Humourous Debate Topics
- Can new year’s resolution change your life?
- If a lie is false, does it exist?
- Which one came first, chicken or egg?
- Can money bring happiness?
- The big bang theory is the best comedy show ever.
- Do humans eat to live or live to eat?
- Are iPhone users richer than Android users?
- Clayton was right in the Disney Tarzan movie 1990.
- Should the unexplained endings of movies be explained?
- Harry Potter makes a better pair with Hermoine Granger than with Genie Weasley.
- Who cares about animal rights more: humans or animals?
- Should children who worked in R-rated movies be allowed to watch it when the movie is done?
- Should there be pineapple on pizza?
- Should animals wear clothing?
- Cats vs dogs: which is the better pet?
- Debates cannot be funny if they have to be debated.
- Men gossip more than women. They just do it professionally.
- When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object which one of the two is more powerful?
- Should character in a movie have the same race as the book?
- Marvel vs DC which is better?
- Should political cartoons be censored?
- Should social media be regulated?
- Should esports promote traditional games on the Olympics instead of video games?
- Modern music or classical: which is better?
- Should certain books be banned from a library?
- Was harry potter and the cursed child a perfect sequel to Harry Potter?
- Playstation vs Xbox which is better?
- Is Holy Bolter the coolest Sci-Fi weapon?
- Do videogames contribute to violence among children?
- Does reality TV have negative effects on society?
- Should the government spend money on sports?
- Should books have age ratings/content warnings?
- Mass media exploits women.
- Is online shopping better than offline shopping?
- Is using animals in sports and entertainment ethical?
- Is it unethical to use ad-blockers?
- Is chocolate good for health?
- Should children be allowed to use mobile phones?
- Should blood sports be banned?
- Should MMA be an Olympic sport?
- Should social media influencers be held accountable if found to promote faulty or fraudulent things?
- Are sports stars overpaid?
- Is geostorm the best sci-fi movie?
- Which is better: working as an entrepreneur or having a corporate job?
- Are video games better than board games?
- Is there a limit to comedy?
- Is Apple overpriced?
- Is Linux the best operating system?
- Macs are better than PCs.
- Avengers is better than X-men.
- Are women more emotional than men?
- Should authors cast movies?
- Which of 6 and 9 was invented first?
How Do I Choose Good Debate Topics for High school?
You need to understand that there are some crucial factors worth paying attention to when picking a good debate topic for high school. A good debate topic will inform, educate and allow your students to have a better idea on both sides of the debate topic, as well as help them make more informed decisions.
So below is a guide that will direct you on how to pick a great debate topic for high school:
Interest –Your students have to be interested in the topic you intend to pick because they will research it and argue about it. A student who is uninterested in a debate topic will never be convincing enough to pass across wisdom to the audience.
Research –The debate topic you intend to present to your students must be easy and accessible to research. Your students shouldn’t find it difficult to get the pros and cons of the debate topic.
Target Audience – This is very important. Whatever topic you plan to pick out for your students should reflect their intellectual level. It shouldn’t be too difficult for them to understand.
Argument Potential – Argument potential revolves around the ability of both sides to craft a persuading or convincing argument. Ensure both topics are easy to research and do not lack information.
That’s all on the Top Debate Topics for High School. I hope you like this article?
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