How can outdated code snippets on the internet impact PHP development practices?

Outdated code snippets on the internet can impact PHP development practices by leading developers to use deprecated or insecure functions, resulting in potential security vulnerabilities or compatibility issues with newer PHP versions. To solve this issue, developers should always refer to official PHP documentation or reputable sources for up-to-date code examples.

// Example of using outdated code snippet
// This code uses the deprecated mysql extension which is no longer supported in newer PHP versions
$conn = mysql_connect("localhost", "username", "password");

// Updated code using mysqli extension
$conn = mysqli_connect("localhost", "username", "password");
if (!$conn) {
    die("Connection failed: " . mysqli_connect_error());
}