What are the potential pitfalls of using text fields for date input in PHP forms?

Using text fields for date input in PHP forms can lead to potential pitfalls such as incorrect date formats, invalid dates, and difficulties in validating and processing the input. To solve this issue, it is recommended to use HTML date input fields or datepicker plugins to ensure users input dates in a standardized format.

<input type="date" name="date_of_birth">