ESL debate topics

Engaging ESL students in classroom discussions is a great way to help them develop their language proficiency and communication skills. Try out your next classroom discussion on Kialo with these engaging ESL debate topics!

ESL debate topics on daily life and routines

• Is it better to exercise in the morning than in the evening?
• Which foreign language is most useful to learn?
• Is it better to be an early bird or a night owl?
• Which is better: morning showers or evening showers?
• Is working from home a good thing?
• Is drinking coffee every morning a bad habit?
• Is it better to live in the city or the countryside?
• Should people make their bed every morning?
• Should dogs be allowed in public parks?
• Should public transport be free?
• What is the best method of transport in a city?
• Is using public transportation better than driving a personal car?
• Should e-scooters be allowed in city centers?
• Is it better to plan your day in advance?
• Is reading the news every day essential for staying informed?
• Are weekends for relaxing or for getting things done?
• Have mobile phones improved people’s lives?
• Should there be a limit on time spent on electronic devices?
• Do people waste too much time on social media?
• Is it better to plan everything or be spontaneous?
• Is multitasking efficient?
• Is focusing on one task at a time more productive than multitasking?
• Should we ban air travel to help fight climate change?
• Should we all have a digital detox once a week?

ESL debate topics on family and relationships

• Are friends better than family?
• Is it good to have siblings?
• Should children help with the housework?
• Should children always listen to their parents?
• Is it better to have a few close friends than lots of casual friends? 
• Do people need friends to be happy?
• Is it better to be the eldest child?
• Is popularity important?
• Should kids have to earn their pocket money?
• Is it acceptable to end a friendship by ghosting?
• Should friends have a lot in common?
• Should teenagers have more independence from their parents?
• Is it okay for parents to share photos of their kids on social media?
• Should parents be friends with their kids on social media?
• Should mobile phones and tablets be allowed at family mealtimes?
• Does love at first sight really exist?
• Is marriage a thing of the past?
• Is it better to marry young or wait until you’re older?
• Should you always forgive a friend?
• Should all parents attend parenting classes?
• Do parents always know best?
• Is love more important than money?
• Does social media strengthen or weaken friendships?
• Should you always give your friends your true opinion?
• Is it okay for parents to confiscate teenagers’ mobile phones?
• Does peer pressure have a positive effect?
• Does turning 18 really mean that you’re an adult?
• Should parents control their children’s friendships?
• Should you marry someone with the same interests as you?
• Should parents be held legally responsible for their children’s actions?
• Do parents rely too much on technology to entertain children?
• Is it OK to end friendships over politics?
• Do online friendships carry the same value as in-person ones?
• Do group chats strengthen or weaken friendships?

ESL debate topics on hobbies and free-time activities

• Is a beach vacation better than a vacation in the mountains?
• What is the best activity to do after school?
• Which is better: LEGO® or Minecraft?
• Which is better: board games or video games?
• Which is better: reading a book or watching a movie?
• Which is more fun: hiking or biking?
• Which are better: creative hobbies or sports?
• Is it better to vacation in your home country or travel abroad?
• Which is more enjoyable: adventure holidays or relaxing holidays?
• Which is better: online hobbies or offline hobbies?
• Is it better to have a few hobbies or excel at one?
• Should esports be treated as a real sport?
• Is dancing a sport?
• Should people have at least one hobby?
• Are solo hobbies or group hobbies more fulfilling?
• Do people spend too much money on sports equipment?
• Does social media take away time from real hobbies?
• Which fantasy/science fiction book series is the best?
• Should playing video games be considered a hobby?
• Is it better to go off the beaten track on holidays?
• Is it acceptable to watch a new episode of a shared TV show without your partner?
• Are extreme sports worth the risk?

ESL debate topics on hypothetical situations

• If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?
• If you were stranded on a desert island, what one item would you bring?
• If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?
• If you won the lottery, would you quit work?
• If you could have dinner with any fictional character, who would it be?
• Which superpower would be best to have?
• If you had a time machine, where would you travel to?
• Would you rather be able to fly like a bird or swim like a fish?
• If you couldn’t use your phone for a week, how would your life change?
• Which would be better: unlimited time or unlimited money?
• If you could live in any fictional universe, which one would you choose?
• If you could switch lives with someone for a day, who would you choose?
• Would it be good to be an astronaut?
• Which scientist should be brought back to help solve the world’s problems?
• Would the world be a better place without humans?
• If you could change one law in your country, what would you change?

ESL debate topics on food and drink

• Which is better: eating out or eating in?
• What is the best comfort food?
• If you could only eat one food for a year, what would it be?
• If you had to prepare a meal for an important guest, what would you cook?
• Should fast food be banned in schools?
• Should kids be allowed to eat ketchup?
• Which is better: tea or coffee?
• Is chocolate the best dessert?
• Is breakfast important?
• Which is the most important meal of the day?
• Is a hotdog a sandwich?
• Should schools educate students on nutrition?
• Should parents force kids to eat vegetables even if they don’t like them?
• Is fast food a necessary convenience?
• Should everyone learn how to cook?
• Should everyone be vegetarian?
• Should there be a tax on junk food?
• Should bottled water be banned?
• Does food taste better when shared with others?
• Is plant-based fast food really better than traditional fast food?
• Are superfoods really necessary for a healthy diet?
• Does food advertising encourage unhealthy eating habits?
• Should insects be a major source of protein in the future?
• Should international cuisines be adapted to suit local tastes?
• Should all restaurant menus display calorie counts?
• Should tipping culture become a thing of the past?
• Can food be art?
• Does food need to look good to taste good?
• Should genetically modified crops be banned?
• Should we only eat food produced in our own countries?

ESL debate topics on holidays and special occasions

• Are New Year’s resolutions worthwhile?
• Do you prefer birthdays or New Year celebrations?
• Should Santa bring naughty children presents?
• Should Christmas decorations be put up before December?
• Are there too many school holidays?
• Should kids be allowed to eat all their Easter chocolate at once?
• Which is the best Easter candy?
• Should everyone get a day off work for their birthday?
• Is it better to give presents or receive them?
• Is Black Friday worth it?
• Is regifting acceptable?
• Should we celebrate Valentine’s Day in school?
• Are holidays better in cold or warm weather?
• Should all businesses close on Christmas?
• Should stores be allowed to sell Christmas items before Halloween?
• Should Halloween costumes be allowed in schools?
• Do people spend too much money on gifts for Christmas?
• Are artificial Christmas trees better than real ones?
• Do fireworks make celebrations better?
• Are big weddings a waste of money?
• Are traditional holidays becoming too commercialized?
• Does overtourism ruin traditional holiday destinations?

ESL debate topics on work and education

• Should students wear school uniforms?
• What is the most rewarding job to have?
• Should teachers give homework?
• Are exams the best way to evaluate students?
• Should teachers have to wear a uniform?
• What’s the most important quality for a teacher to have?
• Should students have homework every day?
• Should we shorten the 40-hour workweek?
• Should 10-year-olds be allowed to have part-time jobs?
• Should people always be on time?
• Should high schools introduce an hour of free time?
• What subject should be added to the school curriculum?
• Would a four-day working week be a good thing?
• Should schools start later in the day?
• Should schools use detention as punishment?
• Should students be allowed to use smartphones in school?
• Should people always be on time?
• Is work experience more valuable than formal education?
• Are online classes as effective as in-person classes?
• Is the salary the most important factor in choosing a new job?
• Is it better to have a job you love with a lower salary or a high-paying job you dislike?
• Are strict deadlines helpful or stressful?
• Is it a good thing that machines will likely do most human work in the future?
• Should schools provide free meals for all students?
• Are university rankings important?
• Do unpaid internships exploit young workers?
• Does the traditional school system prepare students for real life?
• Are hard skills or soft skills more important in the workplace?
• Should AI tools be allowed in school assessments?
• Should schools be able to ban books?
• Should companies look at potential employees’ social media profiles?
• Are long working hours a sign of productivity?

ESL debate topics on sports and fitness

• What is the most difficult sport to play?
• Is it better to watch sports or play sports?
• Who is the greatest soccer/football player of all time?
• What are the best ways of dealing with stress?
• Are team sports better than individual sports?
• Should participating in a sport be compulsory at school?
• Should we have “mental health days”?
• Are the Olympics the most important sports event?
• Is winning the most important part of sports?
• Are professional athletes paid too much?
• Should there be age restrictions for professional athletes?
• Should esports be included in the Olympics?
• Should all swimming pools be free to use?
• Is a gym membership worth the money?
• Should more sports get mainstream attention?
• Should video replays be used in sports?
• Has technology made sports less exciting to watch?
• Should everyone get participation awards?
• Does playing video games benefit learning?
• Are sports a good career choice?
• Are athletes good role models?
• Should cheating in sports lead to a lifetime ban?

ESL debate topics on fashion and pop culture

• Is listening to books better than reading them?
• Are expensive clothes better than cheap clothes?
• Is it important to follow fashion trends?
• What was the worst fashion trend of the last few decades?
• Is shopping online better than shopping offline?
• Are designer brands worth the price?
• Would it be good to be famous?
• Should celebrities be given greater privacy?
• Are celebrities good role models?
• Should schools enforce strict dress codes for students?
• Will physical stores disappear?
• Should we wash our clothes less often?
• Which video game console is the best?
• Is fashion art?
• Is it ok for feminists to wear makeup?
• Are podcasts better than radio?
• Is learning to play an instrument important?
• Should kids be able to have social media?
• Do influencers have a positive or negative influence on society?
• Are influencer endorsements for products trustworthy?
• Should society reject fast fashion?
• Is TikTok bad for society?
• Are beauty standards in fashion too unrealistic?
• Should celebrities use their fame to talk about politics?
• Do people share too much about their lives online?
• Do reality TV shows promote negative behaviour?
• Are reality shows beneficial to contestants?
• Is the amount of entertainment content available today a good thing?

ESL debate topics on the past and the future 

• Is life today better than in the past?
• Will we still use paper books in the future?
• Will we need to learn languages in the future?
• Should people stop using plastic to protect the environment?
• Was life simpler before the internet?
• Will we have established colonies on Mars in the next 50 years?
• By the year 2050, will people have stopped using paper money?
• Will traditional education have disappeared by 2040?
• Are self-driving cars going to replace traditional cars in the near future?
• Is the modern lifestyle healthier than that of previous generations?
• Did people in the past have a better work-life balance than we do now?
• Has technology improved our lives?
• Will flexible working become the new normal in the near future?
• Will robots rule the world?
• Will the world face a major food insecurity crisis by 2050?
• Did women have to use militancy to obtain the vote?
• Was Brexit a good idea?
• Was the Industrial Revolution good for society?
• Should old books and movies be censored if they contain outdated ideas?
• If people had never created social media, would society be better or worse?

ESL debate topics on nature and the environment

• Which are better: cats or dogs?
• Which is more fun: visiting a zoo or visiting an aquarium?
• Which is the more important use of space in a city: gardens and parks or buildings?
• Should single-use plastics be banned?
• Should plastic bags be banned?
• Should we ban zoos?
• Should we ban deforestation?
• Is it important to protect endangered animals?
• Should animal testing be banned?
• Should people take shorter showers to save water?
• Should there be more trash bins in public spaces?
• Should humans eat animals?
• Should animals have rights?
• Is it ethical to use animals for entertainment?
• Is it ethical to take short-haul flights?
• Could the de-extinction of certain species help the environment?
• Are we currently experiencing a mass extinction?
• What is the best source of renewable energy?
• Are governments doing enough to fight climate change?

ESL debate topics on science and technology

• Should young people under 16 be allowed to have smartphones?
• Do aliens exist?
• Do smartphones make us less smart?
• Does technology make us less intelligent?
• Is technology making people lazier?
• Should anyone own outer space?
• Are water resources a basic human right?
• Is space tourism a good idea?
• Does technology invade our privacy too much?
• Will AI doctors be better than human doctors?
• Are people becoming too dependent on technology?
• Do the costs of AI outweigh the benefits?
• Should we be afraid of artificial intelligence?
• Is AI art really art?
• Can AI be creative?
• Are online privacy protections more important than public safety?
• Should we be worried about facial recognition technology?
• Should humans extract resources from space?
• Should deepfake technology be regulated by law?

ESL debate topics on social issues

• Is it ever okay to break the rules?
• Is it ever okay to lie?
• Should 16-year-olds be allowed to vote in general elections?
• Should people break unjust laws?
• Is graffiti a crime?
• Should there be a universal basic income?
• Does money buy happiness?
• Should healthcare be free for everyone?
• Is it important to help your neighbors?
• Should voting be mandatory for all citizens?
• Should stealing always be punished?
• Is cancel culture really a new phenomenon?
• Is it wrong to steal food if you are starving?
• Is democracy a good form of government?
• Is the internet an overall good thing for society?
• Should private cars be banned from the city center?
• Should people carry ID cards at all times?
• Should the government pay wages for housework?
• Is taking care of global issues more important than caring about local issues?
• Is digital media making print newspapers obsolete?
• Is globalization a good thing?

Looking for debate topics in more languages? We’ve got you covered! Explore our extensive collection to spark captivating class discussions with students, no matter the language you’re teaching in.