Discussions / Personal Privacy
Personal Privacy Conversation Questions for Adult ESL Classes
Use these 20 discussion questions about Personal Privacy to run a full speaking lesson with adult learners (B1–B2). Each part opens with a vocabulary warm-up, every question is labelled with the thinking skill it practises, and each part fills roughly thirty minutes of class time on its own.
Reviewed by Brando Oxley · 24 Aug 2026
Part 1
Privacy in Everyday and Digital Life
Focus: discussing personal information, phones, social media, online accounts, sharing habits, and everyday privacy choices
Think of two types of personal information, two actions people take to protect privacy, two places or apps where privacy matters, and one common privacy problem.
ROUTINE
What kinds of personal information are you comfortable sharing with other people?
PREFERENCE
Which parts of your life do you prefer to keep private, and why?
COMPARE
Are people more open about their private lives today than they were in the past? Explain your opinion.
SOCIAL-MEDIA
How do you decide what is appropriate to post about yourself online?
SECURITY
What simple habits can people use to protect their personal information online?
DISCUSS
Why do people sometimes share information online that they would never tell strangers face to face?
PROBLEM-SOLVE
A friend posts a photo of you that you do not want online. How would you handle the situation?
EVALUATE
How concerned should people be about apps collecting information about their location or online activity?
ADVISE
What privacy advice would you give someone creating their first social-media account?
REFLECT
Has modern technology made personal privacy harder to protect? Explain your view.
Part 2
Boundaries at Home, Work, and in Relationships
Focus: discussing personal boundaries, family privacy, workplace monitoring, trust, shared devices, and reasonable limits
Think of one private item or piece of information, one action that could invade someone's privacy, and one situation where people may disagree about boundaries.
Describe each word without saying it directly. Your teacher or partner must guess the word.
EXPERIENCE
What kinds of privacy boundaries are common between family members or people who live together?
COMPARE
How should privacy expectations differ between children, teenagers, and adults?
TRUST
Why can checking another person's phone create problems even when nothing suspicious is found?
WORK
What kinds of monitoring by employers seem reasonable during working hours?
BALANCE
How can couples balance openness and trust with the need for some personal privacy?
PROBLEM-SOLVE
Two roommates share a computer, but one person wants to keep some files private. What practical solution could they use?
DISCUSS
When might safety or security be a reasonable reason to limit someone's privacy?
EVALUATE
Should parents ever read a teenager's private messages? Under what circumstances, if any?
CULTURE
Do ideas about privacy seem different across cultures or generations? Give an example.
REFLECT
What does respecting another person's privacy look like in everyday life?