What are the potential pitfalls of using public variables in PHP classes?

Using public variables in PHP classes can lead to issues with encapsulation and data integrity. It can make it difficult to control access to the variables and enforce validation rules. To solve this issue, it is recommended to use private or protected variables along with getter and setter methods to access and modify the variables in a controlled manner.

class MyClass {
    private $myVariable;

    public function getMyVariable() {
        return $this->myVariable;
    }

    public function setMyVariable($value) {
        // Add validation rules here if needed
        $this->myVariable = $value;
    }
}