Debate, # debate, high school, topic,
Debate is a valuable activity that helps students develop critical thinking, communication, and research skills. It also exposes them to different perspectives and opinions on various issues. Choosing a good debate topic is essential for a successful debate, as it should be interesting, relevant, controversial, and debatable.
There are many possible debate topics for high school students, ranging from school and education to life and ethics. In this article, we will explore some of the most popular and engaging debate topics for high schoolers.
School and Education (relate to academic issues, such as homework, curriculum, exams, grades, etc)
- Should homework be abolished in high school?
- Should standardized tests be the only way to evaluate a student’s academic performance?
- Should schools teach practical life skills in addition to traditional academic subjects?
- Should the grading system be replaced with a pass/fail system?
- Should students be allowed to choose their own classes?
- Should schools have mandatory mental health counseling for all students?
- Should schools offer more vocational and technical education programs?
- Should schools eliminate the use of letter grades and move to a mastery-based system?
- Should high school students be required to learn a second language?
- Should physical education be mandatory in high school?
- Should schools ban the use of cell phones during class time?
- Should homeschooling be an option for high school students?
- Should schools implement a dress code policy?
- Should high school students be required to complete community service hours to graduate?
- Should sex education be mandatory in high school?
- Should school start times be later in the morning?
- Should schools allow students to bring their own laptops or tablets to class?
- Should schools be required to teach financial literacy to all students?
- Should the length of the school day be extended or shortened?
- Should high school students be able to take online classes for credit?
- Should students wear uniforms?
- Should schools continue funding libraries filled with paper books?
- Should high schools offer a real-world internship program for high school students as an elective?
- Should community college and/or trade school be free for everyone?
- Would it be better for students to take fewer classes at a time in mini-sessions rather than semester-long courses?
- Should students be allowed to use cell phones in class?
- Should schools teach cursive writing?
- Should schools have vending machines that sell sodas, candy, and other ‘bad’ snacks?
- Should students be taught about different religions in school?
- Should schools have more field trips?
- Should physical education be required for all students every year of high school?
- Should students have a say in what they learn?
- Is online learning as effective as traditional learning?
- Are grades an accurate measure of student achievement?
- Is homework beneficial or harmful for student learning?
- Do schools prepare students for the real world?
Life and Ethics (deal with moral dilemmas, social values, human rights, etc)
- Should animal testing be banned?
- Should gay marriage be legal?
- Should marijuana be legalized?
- Should prostitution be decriminalized?
- Should capital punishment be abolished?
- Is torture ever justified?
- Is cloning ethical?
- Is it ethical to edit the genomes of our children?
- What is the relevance of forms of synthetic life?
- Is it ethical to allow robots to kill?
- Do humans have a moral obligation to protect the environment?
- Are zoos ethical?
- Is it ethical to use social media?
- Is it ethical to lie?
- Are beauty pageants ethical?
- Is cheating always wrong?
- Do celebrities have a moral responsibility to be good role models?
- Should euthanasia be legal?
- Is the death penalty a morally justifiable form of punishment?
- Should there be limits on freedom of speech?
- Is censorship ever acceptable?
- Should hate speech be protected under free speech?
- Should there be a minimum age for owning a gun?
- Is abortion murder?
- Should the government have the power to regulate a woman’s reproductive rights?
- Should the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) be banned?
- Is it ethical to use animals for food?
- Should the use of recreational drugs be legalized?
- Should individuals have the right to refuse medical treatment?
- Is it ethical to use embryonic stem cells for research?
- Should companies be held accountable for their environmental impact?
- Should individuals have the right to privacy online?
- Should there be a limit on the amount of money individuals can donate to political campaigns?
- Should affirmative action be eliminated?
- Is it ethical to use performance-enhancing drugs in sports?
- Should companies be allowed to conduct genetic testing on their employees?
Politics and Government (involve political systems, policies, laws, elections, etc.)
- Should government have term limits for members of Congress?
- Should the voting age be lowered to 14?
- Should there be stricter campaign finance laws?
- Should government provide universal healthcare?
- Should government provide free college education?
- Should government provide a basic income for all citizens?
- Should government have a flat tax system?
- Should government increase its regulation of big tech companies?
- Should government increase its regulation of social media platforms?
- Should government increase its regulation of the oil and gas industry?
- Should government increase its regulation of the gun industry?
- Should government increase its military spending?
- Should government decrease its military spending?
- Should government continue to provide foreign aid to other countries?
- Should government adopt a single-payer healthcare system?
- Should government adopt a system of ranked-choice voting?
- Should government adopt a system of mandatory voting?
- Should government adopt a system of proportional representation?
- Should government increase its regulation of the financial industry?
- Should government increase its funding for public education?
- Should government increase its funding for scientific research?
- Should government provide reparations for slavery?
- Should government increase its funding for infrastructure projects?
- Should government increase its funding for renewable energy?
- Should government increase its regulation of the pharmaceutical industry?
- Should government increase its funding for mental health services?
- Should government provide free internet access for all citizens?
- Should government adopt a system of mandatory military service?
- Should government provide incentives
Politics And Government, With A Global Focus
- Should there be a global government?
- Should countries have open borders?
- Should the United Nations have more power to intervene in the affairs of sovereign nations?
- Should countries have a right to nuclear weapons?
- Should the international community have the right to intervene in cases of genocide?
- Should there be a global minimum wage?
- Should there be a global carbon tax?
- Should countries have the right to secede from a larger state?
- Should the use of drone strikes by governments be banned?
- Should there be a global ban on weapons sales to conflict zones?
- Should countries be required to have quotas for female representation in government?
- Should countries have a right to privacy from foreign intelligence agencies?
- Should governments have the right to censor the internet?
- Should there be a global ban on the death penalty?
- Should there be a global ban on animal testing for cosmetics?
- Should countries have the right to regulate immigration?
- Should countries have the right to engage in military alliances?
- Should there be a global ban on single-use plastics?
- Should there be a global ban on child labor?
- Should there be a global ban on forced labor?
- Should there be a global ban on capital punishment?
- Should there be a global ban on weapons of mass destruction?
- Should countries have the right to regulate access to healthcare?
- Should there be a global ban on landmines?
- Should countries have the right to regulate access to education?
- Should there be a global ban on genetically modified organisms?
- Should countries have the right to regulate access to clean water?
- Should there be a global ban on ivory trade?
- Should there be a global ban on commercial whaling?
- Should countries have the right to regulate access to contraception and family planning services?
- Should there be a global ban on animal agriculture?
- Should countries have the right to regulate access to safe and legal abortion?
- Should there be a global ban on human cloning?
- Should countries have the right to regulate access to guns?
- Should there be a global ban on child marriage?
- Should there be a global ban on conversion therapy?
- Should countries have the right to regulate access to recreational drugs?
- Should there be a global ban on non-medical genetic modification of human embryos?
- Should countries have the right to regulate access to pornography?
- Should there be a global ban on space weapons?
Science and Technology (cover scientific discoveries, innovations, inventions, challenges)
- Should governments fund space exploration?
- Should humans attempt to colonize other planets?
- Should the use of artificial intelligence be regulated?
- Should genetically modified organisms be used to increase crop yields?
- Should autonomous vehicles be allowed on public roads?
- Should humans attempt to reverse climate change with technology?
- Should there be limits on the use of drones for commercial purposes?
- Should governments regulate the use of facial recognition technology?
- Should there be a global ban on animal testing for medical research?
- Should parents have the right to genetically engineer their children?
- Should social media companies be held responsible for the spread of misinformation?
- Should there be a global ban on the use of single-use plastics?
- Should the use of nuclear power be expanded or phased out?
- Should the use of renewable energy sources be mandated by law?
- Should governments regulate the use of gene editing technology?
- Should humans attempt to extend their lifespan with technology?
- Should virtual reality technology be used in education?
- Should humans use technology to enhance their cognitive abilities?
- Should governments regulate the use of drones for military purposes?
- Should the use of autonomous weapons be banned?
- Should artificial intelligence be used to diagnose medical conditions?
- Should governments regulate the use of surveillance technology?
- Should the use of geoengineering be pursued as a solution to climate change?
- Should humans attempt to genetically engineer animals for food production?
- Should governments invest in the development of fusion energy technology?
- Should there be a global ban on the use of non-biodegradable plastics?
- Should the use of biometric identification technology be regulated?
- Should governments regulate the use of virtual currencies such as Bitcoin?
- Should humans attempt to use technology to eradicate disease?
- Should the use of brain-computer interfaces be regulated?
- Should humans attempt to use technology to achieve immortality?
- Should governments regulate the use of smart home devices?
- Should the use of nanotechnology be regulated?
- Should governments invest in the development of a quantum internet?
- Should the use of autonomous military robots be regulated?
- Should humans attempt to create artificial life?
- Should governments regulate the use of autonomous drones for delivery services?
- Should there be a global ban on the use of non-renewable energy sources?
- Should governments regulate the use of augmented reality technology?
- Should humans attempt to use technology to achieve space travel at the speed of light?
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