I think this distillation by a neural network could also prove useful for making new icons and symbols though. Could prove useful in a reverse application by using them to break down stuff, have a human review it, and modify it back again into something recognizable by us on a more fundamental level.

But now the analogy fails. You aren't in the middle of nowhere, you're at the Starbucks which means you are within easy reach of professionals. Be it the tow truck to take your car to the shop, or cops. The argument you make just doesn't work. You're better off comparing it to response times and liken it more to CPR or something like that. Let's be honest, guns are a tool and the only restrictions they need are just as with cars. Make sure people know how to use them, can demonstrate they can use them, and we're golden.

You can have some wrenches, but if your car breaks down I bet you'll call a tow truck to get it to a shop to fix. Sometimes it's better to let professionals do their thing.

....when our OS on the phone allows locked apps that can't exit to anything else, then and only then would something like this be useful. I don't even like letting people use my phone to make calls (rare as that occurance is) because they could look through my phone if they felt like it. Maybe make the first screen unlockable and anything past the first screen requiring yet another unlocking and you can choose what you want to put on that first screen. Always thought this too when handing a kid the phone to play with for a bit, best to keep things locked down to one app or something. I'm sure there's an implentation somewhere for it already, just needs to be more widely available.