The objective of this systematic review is to characterize scientific production on media competence (MC) in the curriculum of 33 countries in Latin America, starting with the analysis of four dimensions: geographical-temporal distribution, conceptual configuration, methodology, and the main curricular experiences and conclusions. After the identification and selection of the literature following the PRISMA protocol, 32 studies conducted between January, 2012, and December, 2021, were identified in the Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, ERIC (ProQuest), Dialnet (Plus) and Redalyc databases, after the application of the inclusion criteria. Among the findings, the following can be underlined: 1) there was a predominance of studies whose objective was to determine the presence of MC in the curriculum; 2) none of the countries had a course whose main objective was MC, nevertheless, the widespread presence of its dimensions suggests its inclusion as a cross-curricular component; 3) the region lacks studies centered on initial education, adult education, and the curricular basis of education for indigenous people. For this, opportunities must be offered to address future studies, projects, and curricular proposals that guarantee the development of critical, operational, and social competences, to face the socio-cultural demands and phenomena of the new media system.