Children's sitcom shows and presentation of wealth

Though I stopped watching channels like Nickelodeon and Disney years ago, I have noticed a trend whilst flipping through the TV channels. Out of sheer curiosity, I watched an episode of a show called ICarly, about some girl who goes to school with her two friends and has her own internet show. Not only does the show have horrible writing, it also depicts a very unrealistic "apartment" that the girl Carly lives in. This apartment has a fancy elevator, huge rooms, a huge view outside, large fancy kitchen, and everything else to imply that Carly and her brother must somehow be VERY wealthy to afford. But that's not it, Carly also goes to a school where everything is state of the art, and all the children are decked out in designer clothes (product placement too). Though the show doesn't say anything about wealth or income, it is implied that Carly and her friends are wealthy. A lot wealthier than the children who are probably watching the show. Though I was really young, I remember that shows in the late 90's like Even Steven or Boy meets World all depicted middle class average families. Now it seems as we dive into the 2010's, families are being depicted as wealthy and luxurious. The women in these shows always have the best makeup, clothes and hair,  just for attending school. Though the actresses (and actors) are probably in their 20's in reality, in the shows they're depicted as young teenagers. Another example would be this show called Wizards of Waverly Place (trust me, I'm not proud of admitting that I've actually heard of/watched these shows). The home of the main characters, the little restaurant they own, clothing on their back and lifestyle all indicates wealth. This new show on Disney "Victorious" (thank god I never watched this one, I just researched it hee hee), is about a girl who goes to an art school. The school, her home, and her clothes all show that she is wealthy. I have noticed out of all these shows on children's television, no one is depicted as being average middle class, with problems that expand beyond scoring that guy or chipping a nail. I feel that these messages of "if you're wealthy, you're happy" is bad for children, especially those who come from poverty. I feel that television shows for children should be made to make them feel good about themselves, but instead we present them with the ideas that everyone else is wealthy but you. This relates to what was discussed in class about the depiction of wealth in the media. The American dream is to be wealthy. The wealthy are always discussed in media, while the poor never seem to exist.

Just some examples of shows I've found. I have found about 15 all together but I will only post some. You will see the trend. 

[1]

[2]

[3]

 [4]

[5]



See, what did I tell you? Too many shows about rich kids on TV. Now, don't get me wrong, there is nothing WRONG with kids who come from wealthy families, I'm just saying that this trend of shows shows children that being wealthy means being popular and being happy.

Citations

[1] http://www.thecriticalcondition.com/2010/01/27/icarly/

[2] http://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail?pid=134689

[3] http://www.disneydreaming.com/disney-tv-shows/wizards-of-waverly-place/

[4] http://www.partybus.bz/Suite_Life/index.html

[5] http://www.fanpop.com/spots/austin-and-ally/images/27870795/title/austin-ally-photo