Back in November we learned Kourtney Kardashian was, well, not exactly *quitting* Keeping Up With The Kardashians but definitely taking a big step back.

It seemed clear not just to audiences but also to her sisters/co-stars she was becoming less comfortable sharing her personal life with the cameras, and eventually that friction came to a head.

Video: The Fight Between Sisters That Drove Kourtney Away?

Now that she’s officially filming less, how is that going for her stress levels? An insider spilled to People on Tuesday:

“She is happy to be filming less for both herself and the kids.”

The kids?

Yep, this source says the decision was less about Kourtney’s feeling of overexposure and more a growing concern the kids she shares with ex Scott Disick were reaching the age they were starting to see the harmful side of fame:

“As Kourtney and Scott’s kids get older, especially Kourtney feels that public exposure is not really beneficial for the kids. There are already trolls that post nasty comments about the kids.”

It’s an interesting conclusion to come to after all this time. Kourtney has been sharing every aspect of her life — including her children’s actual births — with the world for so long. We wonder what specifically made her decide the fame was too much for the kids. Maybe she got one too many disturbing social media comments?

There have definitely been some times when fans have put out some pretty severe judgments about Mason (10), Penelope (7), and Reign Disick (5). The insider says:

“They are too young to read about it yet, but Kourtney would hate for them to read it as they get older. She feels more and more protective of the kids.”

Well, wanting to protect her kids is certainly an intention we can’t argue with.

Hmm. We wonder if this is why Scott is keeping Sofia Richie away from the show next season, too… Ha!

Maybe the reality TV drama has actually gotten worse?

This insight does come hot on the heels of Kim Kardashian West teasing the drama between the sisters — who have had some epic fights in the past — gets “a little violent” next season.

She said on Laura Wasser‘s All’s Fair podcast this week:

“It gets a lot worse before it gets better. But you know, we’re a really close family. It all works out.”

Season 18, with its more sporadic (but also more violent?) Kourtney premieres in March on E! and we are here for it!

[Image via KUWTK/YouTube/Kourtney Kardashian/Instagram.]

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