social bubbles

Social bubbles are small, fixed groups of people—typically from different households—who agree to interact exclusively with one another during periods of social restriction, such as a pandemic.

The term gained widespread use during COVID-19 lockdowns when governments encouraged forming these limited networks to reduce virus transmission while preserving some social contact.

We formed a social bubble with my sister's family so the kids could play together.

The concept extends metaphorically to describe any insular social circle where members share similar views and rarely encounter outside perspectives.