diff --git a/src/website/settings.py b/src/website/settings.py
index a3c6b5c..0264fb5 100644
--- a/src/website/settings.py
+++ b/src/website/settings.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ BASE_DIR = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
 SECRET_KEY = os.environ["DJANGO_SECRET_KEY"]
 
 # SECURITY WARNING: don't run with debug turned on in production!
-DEBUG = bool(os.getenv("DEBUG"))
+DEBUG = bool(os.getenv("DEBUG", False))
 
 ALLOWED_HOSTS = os.getenv("ALLOWED_HOSTS").split(",")