What potential issues can arise when using the date() function in PHP?

One potential issue when using the date() function in PHP is that it may not return the correct date and time based on the server's timezone settings. To ensure that the date and time displayed are accurate, you can set the timezone using the date_default_timezone_set() function before calling the date() function.

date_default_timezone_set('America/New_York');
echo date('Y-m-d H:i:s');