Debate Topics

Debate topics for students

Every topic has a difficulty level, so you can match it to your group. Easy fits middle school and younger students. Medium fits high school. Deep fits college students and adults who want a harder round.

The lists below come straight from the generator. Each topic is written as a full statement, so you can read it out and start.

Debate topics for middle school and kids

Good topics for kids are about things they already know: school, pets, food and screens. They can argue from their own life without research. These come from the Easy level:

• Homework should be banned in elementary school
• Kids under 13 should not have smartphones
• Every school should have a garden
• Kids should have a set bedtime until age 14
• Cursive writing should still be taught in schools
• Printed books are better than e-books
• Pets should be adopted, not bought
• Students should help make the school rules
• Kids should get an allowance for doing chores
• Video games are a sport

Debate topics for high school

High school students can handle topics with real tradeoffs and some evidence to find. Medium topics cover school policy, technology, money and health, where both sides have a fair case:

• Standardized tests should not be used for college admissions
• Social media does more harm than good for teenagers
• Schools should teach personal finance as a required class
• The minimum wage should be raised
• A four-day workweek should be standard
• Esports should be in the Olympics
• Nuclear power is the best way to cut carbon emissions
• Coding should be required in middle school
• Mental health days should count as excused absences
• Artificial intelligence will create more jobs than it destroys

Debate topics for college students

College debates reward research and careful definitions. Deep topics ask about policy, rights and values, and most have no easy answer:

• Universal basic income should replace most welfare programs
• Governments should regulate artificial intelligence like medicine
• Encryption should never include a backdoor for police
• Universities should drop legacy admissions
• College athletes should be paid salaries by their schools
• Rich countries should pay poorer countries for climate damage
• Organ donation should be opt-out instead of opt-in
• Robots that can feel pain should have rights
• Prisons should focus on rehabilitation rather than punishment
• AI-generated art should be eligible for copyright

Debate topics for adults

Adults enjoy topics about work, money and daily life, because everyone in the room already has an opinion. Try these at a dinner, a book club or a team meeting:

• Working from home is better than working in an office
• Tipping should be replaced with higher wages
• CEO pay should be capped relative to worker pay
• Buying used is better than buying new
• Money can buy happiness
• Public figures deserve less privacy than private citizens
• Cities should ban short-term rentals in residential areas
• The ends justify the means

Fun debate topics

Silly topics make the best warm-up. Nobody gets upset, and you still practice defining terms, giving reasons and answering the other side. The Fun & silly category has 37 of them, including these:

• Cereal is a soup
• A hot dog is a sandwich
• Water is wet
• Pineapple belongs on pizza
• It would be better to fly than to be invisible
• Zombies would win against vampires
• Superheroes should pay for the damage they cause
• Pirates were cooler than ninjas

Controversial debate topics

Topics that split a room sit mostly in the Deep level: "Billionaires should pay a wealth tax", "Student loan debt should be forgiven" or "Facial recognition should be banned in public spaces". They make strong rounds when the group is ready to disagree.

Set two ground rules first. Argue the idea, not the person. Keep to the time limit, so nobody wins by talking longest.

How to pick a good debate topic

A good debate topic is one clear statement that a fair person could argue either way. Check a topic against these tests before you use it:

• It makes one claim. "Homework should be banned in elementary school" works. "Homework and tests are bad" mixes two claims.
• Both sides have strong reasons. If one side has nothing to say, the round ends in a minute.
• The key words are clear. Agree on what "banned" or "standard" means before you start.
• It fits the audience. Use Difficulty so kids aren't stuck on tax policy and college debaters aren't bored.
• It fits the time. Small topics suit a 1 minute round. Policy topics need more.

Debate topic vs. motion

A topic is the subject. A motion is the exact statement the two sides argue for and against. "School uniforms" is a topic. "School uniforms should be required in public schools" is a motion.

Every item in the generator is written as a motion, so it's ready to debate. Formal formats often add "This house believes that" in front. You can put that phrase in front of any of our topics.

How to prepare for a debate in minutes

You can build a solid case in 3 minutes if you work in order. Set the timer to 3 minutes, press Start, and follow these steps:

1. Read the motion twice and define the key words.
2. Write your side in one sentence: what you want the judge to believe.
3. Pick your two strongest reasons. Two clear points beat five rushed ones.
4. Add one example, fact or story to each reason.
5. Guess the other side's best point and write one line that answers it.
6. Plan a closing sentence that repeats your claim.

Practice with a random side and a timer

In a real debate you don't choose your side, so the generator doesn't let you choose either. Each topic arrives with Your side set to For or Against at random. Arguing a view you disagree with is the fastest way to understand the other side and find the weak spots in your own.

Use the Timer to keep rounds short and fair. A simple practice format: 3 minutes of prep, 2 minutes of speaking for each side, then 1 minute of rebuttal each. The timer offers 1, 2 and 3 minutes. Press Generate or the Space key for the next topic.

In a classroom or club, press Full screen to put the topic on a projector, or Share to send the same topic to the group. Press Save on topics you want to keep; they stay in this browser.

Want to give a solo talk instead? Try our speech topics. For debate, speaking and writing ideas in one place, use the random topic generator.