10 Questions to Ask a 12-Year-Old About Animals

Conversation questions we've tested with actual 12-year-olds about animals. Use them at dinner, bedtime, or on the drive home. Each one is age-tested so it lands — not too simple, not too abstract.

1. Do you think animal rights should be the same as human rights?
2. What's something humans could fix by learning from animal behavior?
3. Which is more dangerous to animals — climate change, poaching, or habitat loss?
4. If you could run a wildlife reserve, what would your rules be?
5. Do you think keeping pets is fair for the animal?
6. Which species do you think deserves more scientific attention?
7. Can an animal be evil, or is it always just behavior?
8. If we discovered a new intelligent species tomorrow, how should we treat it?
9. Do you think animals grieve the same way people do?
10. What's the line between a smart animal and a self-aware one?