What are the potential pitfalls of using string manipulation to handle time calculations in PHP?

Using string manipulation for time calculations in PHP can lead to errors and inconsistencies, as it may not account for different time zones, daylight saving time changes, or leap years. To handle time calculations accurately, it is recommended to use PHP's built-in DateTime class, which provides methods for performing date and time operations in a reliable and consistent manner.

// Using DateTime class for accurate time calculations
$datetime1 = new DateTime('2022-01-01 12:00:00');
$datetime2 = new DateTime('2022-01-02 12:00:00');
$interval = $datetime1->diff($datetime2);
echo $interval->format('%d days %h hours %i minutes');