300 Debate Topics Organised by Category and Subject

Ever heard a statement so outlandish that you felt the urge to speak up, challenge it, or defend your view on the spot? That reaction is exactly why the right debate topics spark powerful discussion.

In this guide, we share 300 debate topics organised by category and subject, so you can find the right prompt quickly.

You’ll find fun debate topics, funny debate topics, and controversial debate topics, exploring themes like climate change, social media, and artificial intelligence.

These topics work for class debates, debate clubs, and competitions, and the sections below help you choose and prepare with confidence.

What Makes a Good Debate Topic?

A good debate topic creates genuine tension because there are two strong sides that both feel reasonable. If one position is clearly right, the discussion stalls before it starts.

The best topics are also specific enough to argue within a timed debate. Broad themes sound impressive but quickly become vague and hard to manage under pressure.

Age matters too. Strong debate topics are age-appropriate and evidence-friendly, meaning you can research them using reliable sources without guesswork.

Finally, they need to be interesting. When people care about the issue, debates become sharper, more focused, and far more engaging.

Do you need to agree with a debating topic?

What doesn’t matter? Whether or not you agree. Remember, debate topics are often controversial, and they’re designed to challenge your logic. You might flip a coin to decide which side you’re arguing for, in which case it makes no sense to choose a topic you disagree with.

Even if you know what side you’ll be on, if you can’t understand the opposing side of the debate, you’ll be at a big disadvantage when it comes to engaging with the opposition.

Here’s what that difference looks like in practice, with examples of weak debate topics compared to stronger, more specific ones.

Debating is an extracurricular that genuinely stands out on a transcript. It demonstrates critical thinking, structured reasoning, and the ability to communicate ideas persuasively under pressure. Winning debating competitions goes further still, offering clear evidence that you have refined those skills through practice and performance.

If you enjoy exploring complex ideas through debate but want to strengthen how you communicate them, the TED Summer School is a natural next step. It focuses on shaping clear arguments, refining delivery, and presenting ideas with confidence to a live audience.

How to Choose the Right Debate Topic Quickly

Choosing a debate topic becomes much easier when you follow a clear process rather than picking something at random. The aim is to find a topic that feels manageable, interesting, and genuinely debatable within the time you have.

Start by choosing your category first. Education, technology, health, the environment, or society – each shape the type of arguments you’ll make and help narrow your focus.

You will end up learning a lot about this area, so choose a category that genuinely interests you and makes you curious to explore different perspectives.

Next, decide the tone you want for the debate:

• serious or academic, for practicing structured and evidence-led arguments
• fun or funny, to keep energy and confidence high – often used for the last debate club of term, or to raise money for charity!
• controversial, to challenge opinions and spark strong reactions

For a casual debate, choose a topic you can research in around 20 minutes. If reliable sources are easy to find, your argument will be stronger.

Finally, pick a topic where you can clearly imagine the counterargument. If you can argue both sides convincingly, it’s a strong choice and a solid step towards becoming a confident speaker.

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Debate Topic Formats That Work Best

The way a debate topic is phrased can make a big difference in how easy it is to argue. Clear formats help you understand the task quickly, build stronger points, and develop core communication skills that make arguments easier to follow and more persuasive.

• “Should” debates: Are the most common and work well for beginners. They focus on policy or action and lead naturally to clear yes or no arguments.
• “Is” debates: Explore ideas, values, or truth. These are great for deeper thinking, but they work best when the wording stays specific.
• “Which is better” debates: Create a direct comparison. They are engaging because both sides can highlight strengths and weaknesses clearly.
• “This House believes” debates: Are often used in competitions. They encourage persuasive speaking and structured arguments from a defined point of view. When a motion begins with “This House believes…”, speakers are arguing as if they are speaking for a collective decision-making body, allowing them to focus on persuasion, not personal opinion.

Choosing a Format for Your Topic

Once you have a debate motion, the next decision is the debate format.

This is about how many speakers there are, what each person does, and how the debate runs. Choosing the right format makes debating fairer, clearer, and more confident for everyone involved.

Different formats suit different class sizes, experience levels, and time limits.

One well-known option is parliamentary debate, where teams follow a strict speaking order, time limits, and formal roles, often with opportunities to challenge the other side through questions. This format is common in competitions and helps develop confidence, quick thinking, and persuasive structure.

However, if you’re short on time or working in a classroom setting, there are simpler alternatives. In a two-speaker team debate (also known as a paired debate), each side has two speakers: one introduces the main arguments, and the other responds and rebuts. This format is easier to run, gives everyone a clear role, and still teaches the core skills of debating.

Without further ado – let’s choose a topic!

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300 Debate Topics, Organised by Category and Subject

Use the categories below to find the best debate topic for your class, club, or competition.

Education-related Debate Topics

You experience school every day, which means you already have opinions worth debating. 

Education-related debate topics focus on familiar rules, routines, and pressures, making them easy to understand, research, and argue using both personal experience and evidence.

Example topics:

• Students should be allowed to use artificial intelligence tools in schoolwork
• Exams should be replaced with coursework
• School uniforms should be optional
• Schools should teach financial literacy
• Schools should teach public speaking as a mandatory subject
• Grades do more harm than good
• Teachers should be allowed to ban phones completely
• School days should not begin earlier than the average working day.
• Schools should be/should not be allowed to require vaccinations for attendance
• Schools should have a four-day week
• Competitive sports should be compulsory
• Schools should provide free lunches for all students
• Detention should be replaced with restorative justice
• Students should have more say in school rules
• Private schools should be banned
• Single-sex schools are better than mixed schools
• Standardised tests are unfair
• Students should be graded on effort as well as performance
• Schools should ban energy drinks
• Students should be allowed to use laptops in every lesson
• School should focus more on life skills than academic results
• Teachers should be paid based on student performance
• Schools should ban AI-use in homework
• Today’s exams are not an adequate measure of ability
• Class sizes should be smaller
• Schools should include more creative subjects
• School should be year-round with shorter holidays
• Schools should provide free tutoring support
• Schools should introduce compulsory media literacy education
• Group work should be optional rather than mandatory
• Attendance should not be graded or rewarded
• Schools should offer exam-free pathways to graduation
• Students should be allowed to design their own final projects
• Schools should separate academic and vocational tracks earlier
• Online learning should be offered as a full-time option for secondary school students
• Online lessons should count equally to in-person lessons for exams and assessments
• Arts subjects should be valued equally to STEM subjects in school timetables

Controversial Debate Topics

Controversial debate topics come from moments when real-world issues divide opinions, spark emotion, and push you to explain not just what you think, but why.

• Everyone deserves a second chance.
• People should be required to vote in national elections
• Cancel culture does more harm than good
• Parents should be fined for children’s misbehaviour
• Life sentences should be abolished
• Freedom of speech should have limits
• Breaking rules can be justified
• Safety is more important than freedom
• People should always follow the law
• Non-violent offenders should never receive prison sentences.
• The death penalty can never be morally justified.
• Individuals should be taxed based on their carbon footprint.
• Teenagers should have the right to vote before the age of eighteen
• Peaceful protest should be allowed to cause public disruption
• Countries should work towards completely eliminating nuclear weapons
• Nuclear weapons make the world safer rather than more dangerous

Debate Topics Surrounding Technology and Our Online Lives

Remember when TikTok was nearly banned in the US, and suddenly some of your friends were cheering while others were panicking about losing their favourite app? 

Technology is a huge part of our lives, and these topics can be incredibly engaging. We’ve broken down these topics by theme – young people, technology in schools, government intervention, social media, AI, and more.

Young People, Safety & Protection Online:

Who should protect young people online, and how far should that protection go?

• Social media should be banned for under-16s (check out Australia’s example)
• Teenagers should need parental permission to download social media apps
• Teenagers should have legal limits on daily screen time
• Governments should restrict social media access for under-18s
• Protecting young people online is more important than digital freedom
• Young people should be protected from algorithm-driven content
• Governments should ban targeted advertising aimed at teenagers
• Influencers should be held to the same accountability standards as politicians when addressing young audiences
• Parents should enforce strict screen time limits for children

Schools, Education & Technology

These topics dive into how technology should (or should not) be used in education.

• Schools should track students’ online activity
• Schools should be allowed to discipline students for behaviour outside school
• Schools should teach digital ethics as a compulsory subject
• Schools should teach artificial intelligence literacy
• Video games improve learning
• Violent video games should be banned
• Schools should allow students to use artificial intelligence in assignments
• Schools should ban phones in classrooms
• Teachers should never use AI to create a lesson plan
• Schools should allow artificial intelligence to mark essays
• Schools should not use artificial intelligence to predict student behaviour
• Virtual reality will replace classrooms

Government Power, Regulation & Control

How much control governments should have over the digital world?

• Governments should restrict online content during national emergencies
• Governments should regulate video-sharing platforms more strictly
• Governments should treat social media companies like publishers
• Governments should ban TikTok
• Governments should ban smartphones for under-16s
• Governments should ban facial recognition in public spaces
• Governments should hold tech companies responsible for online bullying
• Governments should recognise access to the internet as a human right
• Governments should protect online anonymity at all costs
• Governments should limit how much personal data companies can collect
• Artificial intelligence development should pause if safety risks are unclear

Free Speech, Anonymity & Responsibility

Should online freedom have any limits?

• There should be no limit on what you can say online
• Online anonymity causes more harm than good
• Platforms should restrict anonymous accounts
• Public safety should matter more than online privacy
• Digital surveillance can never be fully justified, even for security reasons

Platforms, Algorithms & Corporate Responsibility

What responsibility do online platforms have for harm, influence, and information?

• Social media platforms should be legally responsible for harmful content
• Social media platforms are responsible for most misinformation
• Platforms should verify the age of all users
• Platforms should remove viral challenges immediately
• Platforms should clearly label AI-generated content
• Companies should make algorithms transparent
• Technology companies deliberately design addictive apps

Has your curiosity been roused by one of these topics? With our TED Summer School, you’ll receive expert support to turn your idea into a professionally recorded TED-style talk to demonstrate your argumentation skills in your portfolio.

Social Media, Identity & Behaviour

How do online platforms shape behaviour, pressure, and relationships?

• Social media causes more harm than good
• Social media trends are more dangerous than traditional peer pressure
• Online communities matter more than real-life communities
• Constant notifications have permanently destroyed people’s ability to focus
• Heavy reliance on technology weakens real-world communication skills
• Digital convenience has made people less patient and more impulsive

Data, Privacy & Ownership

Topics surrounding who owns data, and what should happen to it.

• People should own and sell their own personal data
• Digital platforms should delete digital footprints after five years
• The convenience of smart home devices is not worth the cost to personal privacy

Artificial Intelligence & the Future

Topics that touch on how AI will affect creativity, work, and society.

• Artificial intelligence will cause more harm than good
• Governments should ban artificial intelligence in creative industries
• Health services should not use chatbots for mental health advice
• Automation threatens future job opportunities for today’s teenagers
• Artificial intelligence should not be used to make decisions in the justice system
• Companies already rely too heavily on artificial intelligence instead of human judgement
• AI-generated media has outpaced society’s ability to regulate it
• The harms of AI misinformation outweigh its benefits to free expression

Climate Change and Environment Debate Topics

Climate change debates are no longer distant or theoretical; they shape everyday decisions, from how we travel to what we buy and eat. 

These topics cover personal habits, government policies, and global responsibility, helping you explore who should act, how quickly change should happen, and what trade-offs are worth making.

Example topics:

• Planting trees should complement, not substitute for, reducing emissions
• Space exploration is a waste of planetary resources
• Individual actions matter more than government policy
• Governments should ban fast fashion
• Carbon capture approaches are a support measure, not a solution
• Governments should intervene to reduce meat consumption
• Governments should tax air travel more heavily
• Electric cars offer the best solution to climate change
• Recycling alone cannot solve environmental problems
• Governments should ban fossil fuel companies from advertising
• Governments should make companies pay for the pollution they create
• Governments should ban plastic packaging
• Governments should ban single-use plastics completely
• Schools should make vegan meals the default option
• Governments should pay people to recycle (check out the Pfand bottle deposit system in Germany!)
• Governments should recognise water as a human right
• Nuclear energy plays a necessary role in fighting climate change
• Climate activists should target governments rather than individuals
• Schools should become zero-waste institutions
• Governments should make public transport free
• Governments should ban plastic bags in all countries
• Governments should prioritise renewable energy over fossil fuels
• Countries should accept people displaced by climate change
• Governments should prioritise environmental protection over economic growth
• Electric vehicles cannot solve climate change
• Governments should require companies to label the environmental impact of their products
• Governments should tax fast fashion brands based on environmental damage
• Schools and workplaces should enforce meat-free days
• Governments should limit water usage by law during droughts
• Governments should force companies to change environmentally harmful practices
• Governments should ban short domestic flights where train travel exists
• Governments should require supermarkets to reduce food waste
• Authorities should require public events to meet sustainability standards
• Governments should require clothing brands to reduce clothing destruction
• Governments should ban cars from city centres during peak hours
• Declaring a climate emergency creates more panic than progress
• Governments should treat environmental damage as a criminal offence
• Politicians should track and share their personal carbon footprint
• Schools should teach practical sustainability skills, not just theory

Health and Wellbeing-related Debate Topics

Health and well-being debates often hit close to home, whether it’s conversations about stress before exams, screen time before bed, or how social pressure affects confidence. 

These topics focus on mental and physical health, physical wellbeing, the role of medicine and doctors, and everyday habits, encouraging you to question what support people really need and where responsibility should sit between individuals, schools, and society.

Example topics:

• Mental health should be taught in schools
• Medical care should be free at the point of use
• Everyone should have equal access to healthcare, regardless of lifestyle choices
• Therapy should be free for young people
• Energy drinks should be banned for under-16s
• Vaping is more harmful than smoking
• Schools should allow mental health days
• Too much money is spent on treatment rather than research
• Governments should invest more in healthcare than defence
• Private companies have too much influence over healthcare decisions
• Healthcare systems struggle because resources are limited, not poorly managed
• Sleep is more important than nutrition
• Sleep is more important than revision
• Medication is overused to treat mental health conditions
• Therapy should be more accessible than medication
• Junk food should be taxed
• Governments should be allowed to limit personal freedom to protect public health
• Public health campaigns unfairly blame individuals
• Vaccination should be encouraged but not enforced
• [Lifestyle choice – e.g. smoking] places too much strain on healthcare systems
• Daily exercise should be mandatory in schools
• Schools should provide free counselling for all students
• Sugary drinks should be banned in schools
• Technology has improved healthcare more than it has complicated it
• Artificial intelligence should support doctors, not replace them
• Healthcare systems rely too heavily on technology
• Digital health tools risk excluding some patients
• Caffeine sales to teenagers should be banned
• Schools should ban competitive ranking
• Body positivity discourages healthy lifestyle choices
• Wellbeing apps create unhealthy dependence
• Students should refuse school mental health support
• Schools should be judged on student happiness

Society and Culture Debate Topics

Think about how one comment about cancel culture, cultural appropriation, or freedom of speech can quickly divide opinions in a classroom or online thread. 

Society and culture debate topics help you explore how beliefs, trends, and social rules shape the way people think, behave, and treat each other.

Example topics:

• Celebrities have too much influence
• Reality TV is harmful to society
• People are less empathetic than 50 years ago
• Society judges teenagers too harshly
• Cultural appropriation is always wrong
• Social media activism is effective
• The world is becoming more divided
• Social media has ruined real friendships
• The pressure to be “perfect” is worse than ever
• School dress codes restrict self-expression
• Media beauty standards harm young people
• Teenagers should need parental consent to use social media
• Popular opinion matters too much in modern society
• Being famous is valued more than being skilled
• Society excuses bad behaviour from successful people
• Tradition matters less than progress today
• People rely too much on public approval
• Moral values change too quickly in society
• Society rewards confidence over competence
• Being outspoken is mistaken for being right
• Young people are expected to grow up too fast
• Society is less tolerant of disagreement than before
• Image matters more than integrity today
• Public opinion should not shape personal values
• Social trends influence behaviour more than rules

Debate Topics Connected to Politics, Law and Human Rights

When headlines about the government’s latest policy start flying around, it doesn’t stay on the news for long; it turns into a heated lunch-table debate within minutes. 

Politics, law, and human rights topics begin right there, where power, fairness, and freedom collide, and where you have to argue what the law should do, not just what it does.

Tip: Many of these work generally, and also when applied to a specific country.

Example topics:

• Prison should focus on rehabilitation not punishment
• Surveillance cameras increase safety but reduce freedom
• Hate speech laws should be stricter
• Public protests should always be protected
• Refugees should have easier access to education
• Capital punishment should be abolished worldwide
• National service should be mandatory
• The media should be more strictly regulated
• Governments should ban junk food advertising
• Online crime should be punished like offline crime
• Strict border control is necessary for national security
• Governments abuse emergency powers too easily
• Political leaders should be held legally accountable after office
• Human rights should outweigh national laws
• Courts have too much power over elected governments
• Whistleblowers deserve protection even when breaking the law
• Police powers are expanding too quickly
• Democracy works better with fewer political parties
• Governments prioritise control over citizen freedom
• National security is used to justify rights violations
• Laws should reflect moral values, not public opinion
• The justice system favours the wealthy
• International law is weaker than national interest
• Governments should limit executive power
• Law enforcement should have stricter oversight
• Citizenship tests are unfair and discriminatory
• Political neutrality in media is impossible
• Protesting should not disrupt everyday life
• Governments should prioritise citizens over non-citizens
• Emergency laws should have strict time limits
• Human rights are interpreted too broadly
• Strong leadership matters more than democratic process

Abstract/Advanced Debate Topics

Once you’re comfortable with the mechanics of debating, some motions stop being about clear policies or practical decisions and start being about ideas, values, and how we see the world.

These debates aren’t won by shouting facts or piling on examples, but by how well you define the terms, frame the question, and think philosophically about what the motion really asks.

Successful speakers don’t try to say everything. They choose a small number of thoughtful points, explain them carefully, and speak with control and precision, rather than overwhelming the debate with lots of arguments, statistics, or emotional claims.

For these, we’ve included one example argument for each side, to help you understand how a strong case might be framed.

• This House believes neutrality is impossible
  Pro: Every position reflects underlying values, even when they are left unstated.
  Con: Neutral processes can still exist even if individuals have biases.
• This House believes moral consistency is unrealistic
  Pro: Real-world decisions force compromises that make strict consistency impossible.
  Con: Inconsistency weakens moral authority and public trust.
• This House believes progress requires discomfort
  Pro: Social and political change inevitably challenges existing norms.
  Con: Discomfort alone does not justify or guarantee improvement.
• This House believes society values certainty over truth
  Pro: Simple narratives are preferred over complex or uncertain realities.
  Con: Institutions like science and law are built around doubt and revision.
• This House believes good intentions are overrated
  Pro: Outcomes matter more than motives when harm occurs.
  Con: Intentions are essential for judging responsibility.
• This House believes fear drives more decisions than reason
  Pro: Risk avoidance shapes political and personal behaviour.
  Con: Rational frameworks still guide many decisions.
• This House believes freedom is an illusion
  Pro: Social and economic structures limit genuine choice.
  Con: Constraint does not eliminate meaningful agency.
• This House believes institutions matter more than individuals
  Pro: Systems shape behaviour regardless of leadership.
  Con: Individuals can reform or dismantle institutions.
• This House believes empathy is overrated in decision-making
  Pro: Empathy can bias judgement and undermine fairness.
  Con: Without empathy, decisions become detached and unjust.
• This House believes disagreement is healthier than consensus
  Pro: Conflict exposes weak ideas and prevents stagnation.
  Con: Too much disagreement prevents cooperation.
• This House believes tradition holds society back
  Pro: Tradition often protects outdated norms.
  Con: Tradition provides stability and shared identity.
• This House believes optimism is dangerous
  Pro: Optimism can discourage preparation for risk.
  Con: Optimism motivates resilience and innovation.
• This House believes ambition is encouraged at the expense of wellbeing
  Pro: Success is often rewarded at the cost of mental health.
  Con: Ambition and wellbeing are not mutually exclusive.
• This House believes failure teaches more than success
  Pro: Failure reveals weaknesses and encourages growth.
  Con: Success builds confidence and effective models.
• This House believes power corrupts even with good intentions
  Pro: Incentives distort behaviour over time.
  Con: Accountability can limit corruption.
• This House believes society mistakes confidence for competence
  Pro: Charisma often outweighs expertise.
  Con: Confidence is often necessary for competence to be effective.
• This House believes convenience has replaced critical thinking
  Pro: Technology reduces effortful engagement.
  Con: Convenience can enable deeper thinking elsewhere.
• This House believes rules are followed only when enforced
  Pro: Compliance often depends on consequences.
  Con: Social norms guide behaviour without enforcement.
• This House believes fairness is subjective
  Pro: Cultural values shape ideas of justice.
  Con: Shared principles allow common standards.
• This House believes society punishes doubt
  Pro: Uncertainty is often read as weakness.
  Con: Many fields reward scepticism and questioning.

Student Experience Debate Topics

To take things back down to earth, we’re including a few topics that focus on the rules, routines, and pressures that shape everyday learning, from homework and exams to behaviour policies and student voice. 

These topics invite you to question how schools balance structure with freedom, fairness with discipline, and academic success with well-being.

Example topics:

• Students should be allowed to wear what they want to school
• Schools should have longer lunch breaks
• Students should be allowed to eat in class
• Group projects are unfair
• School should start at 10am
• Students should be allowed to redo exams
• Sports day should be optional
• Schools should ban competitive ranking
• Students should be allowed to use laptops in every lesson
• Detention does not work
• Students should be allowed to leave campus for lunch
• Schools should have nap breaks
• Strict school rules create more harm than structure
• Behaviour policies affect some students more than others
• Student voice is ignored in school decision-making
• Exams reward memorisation over understanding
• School pressure reflects adult expectations, not student needs
• School timetables prioritise efficiency over learning
• Uniform policies limit self-expression without improving behaviour
• Homework expectations vary unfairly between teachers
• Attendance rules punish illness more than absence
• Schools reward compliance more than curiosity
• School success is defined too narrowly
• Teacher authority outweighs student rights
• School discipline focuses on control rather than growth
• School environments increase stress unnecessarily
• Schools prepare students for exams, not adulthood
• Academic competition discourages collaboration
• School policies ignore individual learning differences
• Schools expect adult behaviour from teenagers

Funny Debate Topics for Students

These topics are designed to spark quick opinions, friendly disagreement, and confident speaking, without needing deep research or serious background knowledge.

Example topics:

• Pineapple belongs on pizza
• Cats are better pets than dogs
• Homework should be illegal
• Summer is better than winter
• Video games should be considered a sport
• Social media influencers deserve their fame
• Superheroes are better role models than celebrities
• Movies are better than books
• Team sports are better than individual sports
• Texting is better than talking in person
• School trips are more educational than lessons
• Animated films are better than live-action films
• Talent matters more than hard work

Conclusion: How to Turn Your Debate Topic Into a Winning Argument

Turning debate topics into strong arguments starts with making a clear choice. Decide where you stand early, so every point you make pushes your position forward with purpose.

Once your stance is clear, write your three strongest points and back them with examples or evidence. Just as importantly, prepare counterarguments so you can respond confidently under pressure.

Practise delivery as much as content. Clear structure, calm pacing, and confident body language often matter more than perfect wording.

If you’re preparing for a public speaking competition, take the next step with our two-week TED Summer School in London, New York, Singapore, or online, designed to help you practise, perform, and stand out.