The article reveals the important role of media in the modern information world. The purpose of the work is to characterize the process of formation and development of media education in the education system of developed countries, to outline the process of origin and prospects for the development of media education in Ukraine; to determine the need and importance of the media education development in our country based on positive foreign experience. The methodological basis of the article is a content-analytical approach (identifying the content of media education in developed countries); historical approach (study of the integration process and development of media education in the system of general secondary education in northern European countries in developed countries). The novelty of the article is the consideration of the development of media education in educational institutions of the developed countries, which will help to ensure its effective implementation in Ukraine. The main results. The process of media education in the developed world began in the middle of the twentieth century, it was associated with the growing role of the media in society. This process is an important indicator of the level of development of civil society in Ukraine. Obstacles to the formation of the media education in the developed countries of the world may be highlighted as the lack of support and interest of the states in media education; a small number of media educational textbooks and trained media educators; the integrated nature of media education and the lack of an extensive system of media associations and research institutes for the study of media. However, the dynamics of media education in the developed world is growing. Media education has taken an important place in the education system of the studied countries. Taking into account that this process in Ukraine is in its infancy, the experience of developed countries in the field of media education is important, because various models of its implementation will ensure the productive development of media education in Ukraine.