Debate topics
Debate topics for teens and high school students
Good debate topics for high school students are ones anyone can argue without a library: questions about school, technology, work, and how we live. Should homework be abolished? Will AI create more jobs than it destroys? Should everyone learn to code? Students already have opinions on these, and the best rounds come from testing those opinions against a strong reply.
This page collects the Classic and Tech motions on Contradicto. We leave out motions on party politics and other divisive ground, so these work in a classroom, as a debate club warm-up, or for practice at home. Every motion links to a page with four arguments for each side, sample opening lines, and questions that help you prepare a rebuttal.
Contradicto turns practice into a game show. You argue out loud, in turns, against Vera, our AI debater, or a classmate. Eleven AI jurors with different priorities react to every point, so you hear at once what persuaded them. Contradicto is for players aged 14 and over, and a teacher can run a match on a single laptop.
Using these topics in class
- Same screen. Two students share one laptop and pass the mic between turns.
- Against Vera. One student argues alone against the AI, on Easy, Normal, or Hard.
- Swap sides. Play the rematch with sides swapped, so everyone argues the side they disagree with.
Classic
- Social media does more harm than good
Social media connects people all over the world, but it is also blamed for anxiety, misinformation, and wasted time. This motion asks whether the harm outweighs the good. It is one of the most debated topics of our time. The debate turns on weighing real benefits, like connection and free expression, against real harms, like addiction and division.
- Remote work beats working in an office
Working from home has become normal for many people, while others are being called back to the office. This motion argues remote work is better. The debate turns on productivity, wellbeing, teamwork, fairness, and what people lose or gain when they stop sharing a workplace. It is relatable for workers, students, and anyone who has joined a video call.
- Homework should be abolished
Few motions are argued as passionately in schools as this one. Should homework disappear entirely? The debate turns on whether learning outside class builds skills and habits or simply steals time from rest, family, and play. The word abolished matters: the FOR side must reject all homework, while the AGAINST side only needs to defend some of it.
- Cities should ban private cars from their centers
This motion imagines city centres with no private cars, only walking, cycling, buses, trams, and deliveries. Supporters see cleaner air and livelier streets; opponents see lost freedom and struggling businesses. It is a serious policy debate that turns on who the city centre is for, how people would really get around, and who gets left behind.
- Space exploration is worth the cost
Rockets, rovers, and space telescopes cost a great deal of money. This motion argues the spending is worth it. The debate turns on what space exploration gives back, from science and technology to inspiration, compared with urgent needs on Earth. It is a classic debate that rewards clear weighing of benefits against opportunity costs.
- A four-day work week should be the norm
This motion asks whether working four days instead of five should become the standard, not a perk for a lucky few. It is easy to love and hard to defend well, because the debate turns on two questions: does the same work actually get done in less time, and who pays when it does not? Nurses, shop staff, and small businesses all complicate the picture.
- Zoos should not exist
Zoos let people see animals from around the world, but critics say keeping wild animals in enclosures is wrong. This motion argues zoos should not exist at all. The debate turns on animal welfare, conservation, education, and whether alternatives like sanctuaries and wildlife reserves can do the good zoos claim without the harm.
- Video games are art
Video games combine stories, music, visuals, and interaction. This motion argues they are art. The debate turns on what makes something art: creativity, emotional impact, or the intention of its makers, and whether interaction strengthens or weakens a game's claim. It is a favourite for gamers and art lovers alike, with strong arguments on both sides.
Tech
- AI will create more jobs than it destroys
This motion is a prediction about the future of work: will artificial intelligence, on balance, add more jobs than it removes? It is tricky because nobody can see the future, so the debate turns on how well history guides us, how fast the change happens, and whether new jobs reach the same people who lost the old ones.
- Self-driving cars should replace human drivers
This motion imagines a future where people no longer drive, and every car is driven by a computer. It is bigger than allowing driverless cars: it means replacing human drivers entirely. The debate turns on safety, freedom, jobs, and trust in technology. Supporters see fewer crashes; opponents see lost independence and new risks.
- Kids under 14 should not have smartphones
Should children wait until they are 14 before owning a smartphone? This motion touches safety, independence, friendship, and family rules. Parents, teachers, and teenagers all have strong views. The debate turns on whether phones expose young children to harms they cannot handle, or whether keeping them away leaves kids isolated and less prepared for a connected world.
- Passwords should be abolished
Everyone forgets passwords, reuses them, or writes them on sticky notes. This motion argues we should get rid of them entirely, replacing them with alternatives like fingerprints, face scans, or security keys. The debate turns on whether passwords are a weak, outdated tool or a simple, flexible protection we would regret losing.
- Robots should pay taxes
As robots and software take over tasks once done by people, governments may collect less income tax. This motion proposes taxing robots. The debate turns on fairness, innovation, and practicality: who would pay, what counts as a robot, and whether such a tax protects workers or slows progress that could benefit everyone.
- Open-source AI is safer than closed AI
Some AI models are released openly so anyone can inspect and modify them; others stay locked behind company walls. This motion claims the open approach is safer. It is a demanding tech debate about transparency, misuse, and trust. The debate turns on whether many eyes catch problems faster, or whether open models put powerful tools in the wrong hands.
- Everyone should learn to code
Coding powers apps, games, and almost every modern business. This motion says everyone should learn it. Supporters see a basic skill for the modern world, like reading and maths; opponents see a passing trend that ignores people's different talents. The debate turns on whether coding is truly a universal skill or a specialist one.
- Smart homes are a privacy disaster
Smart speakers, cameras, doorbells, and thermostats collect information about our homes and habits. This motion argues they are a privacy disaster. The word disaster sets a high bar. The debate turns on what data is collected, who can access it, and whether people knowingly trade privacy for convenience or are pushed into it without understanding.
- VR will replace the office
Virtual reality promises meetings in digital rooms, with colleagues represented as avatars around a virtual table. This motion predicts VR will replace the physical office. The debate turns on whether the technology can truly recreate the benefits of shared workspaces, and whether people will actually want to wear headsets for hours each day.