Educational Debate Topics

● A college degree is essential for getting a good job.

● Contact sports should be required in school.
● Education should focus on maths and science rather than music and art.
● Fast food should be banned in schools.
● Homeschooling is better than traditional schooling.
● Do you need homework in order to learn?
● Cell phones should be banned in schools.
● Public schools are better than private schools.
● Education should be privatized.
● Schools should teach abstinence-only sex education.
● School uniforms should be mandatory.
● Should standardized testing be abolished?
● Studying a second language should be compulsory.
● Boarding school is harmful for students.
Political debate topics are a little more serious and generally suit a high school to college-level audience.

Political Debate Topics

● All people should be able to own guns.

● The British Monarchy should be abolished.
● Should there be limits on the First Amendment (free speech)?
● Britain should leave the European Union.
● The US should abolish the electoral college.
● Churches should pay taxes.
● Is freedom of speech a necessity in a functional society?
● Should illegal immigrants be treated as criminals?
● Juries should include 24 jurors instead of 12.
● The country should allow more refugees to enter.
● Is owning an automatic weapon morally justifiable?
● Is patriotism ultimately destructive to international relations?
● Politics should be kept out of schools.
● Presidential terms should be limited to two years instead of four.
● All prisons should be governmentally owned and run.
● Rich people and large corporations should pay more taxes.
● Should the U.N. have a standing army?
● The U.S. should intervene in overseas conflicts.
● Is the US voting system democratic?
● Should the voting age be lowered to 16?
● Voting should be mandatory for all citizens.
● The West should lift all sanctions on Iran (or North Korea).
● Should your country make a land claim on Antarctica?
Environmental debate topics can be research-heavy, but are a good choice if you're passionate about our
planet.

Environmental Debate Topics

● Climate change is the greatest threat in human history.

● Companies should be taxed on their carbon emissions and other negative
environmental impact.
● Plastic bags and packaging should be banned.
● Everyone should be vegetarian.
● Genetically modified foods (GMOs) should be banned.
● Fracking should be banned.
● Live animal exports should be banned.
● More land should be dedicated as national parks.
● Is organic farming the future of agriculture?
● Is the Paris Agreement relevant anymore?
● The sale of fur should be banned.
● Is tourism beneficial to the environment?
● Zoos should be banned.
Both high-schoolers and college students can have fun debating technology topics.

Technology Debate Topics

● Will the development of artificial intelligence harm or benefit humankind?

● Are robots going to increase or decrease our quality of life?
● Artificial intelligence is dangerous.
● Is technology going to save the world. . . or kill it?
● Is the use of technology changing people for the better. . . or worse?
● Is technology making people dumber. . . or smarter?
● Is technology the opposite of nature? (Are technology and nature diametrically
opposed?)
● Should humans colonize other planets?
● Have social media benefited or harmed people’s social lives?
● Does social media improve or impede communication?
● Should a person's social media be considered by school admissions, police
investigations, and potential employers?
● What's better: traditional or online education?
● All cars should be electric.
● Should individuals own their own DNA?
More Controversial Debate and
Argumentative Essay Topics

● Should alcohol be sold after 10 pm?

● Alternative medicines should be banned.
● Can animal testing be justified?
● Beauty pageants should be banned.
● Is bad parenting to blame for childhood obesity?
● Children should be exposed to technology.
● Dance should be considered a sport.
● Advertising should be banned during children's programs.
● Should fines be scaled depending on income?
● Gaming should be considered a sport.
● Human cloning should be legalized.
● Parents should be able to refuse medical treatment for their children.
● Parents should be able to choose the sex of their child.
● Parents should limit the amount of time their children spend on technology.
● Pop music is the best kind of music.
● Unpaid internships should be against the law.
● Violent video games should be banned.