Monterrey 12.7.6 - "embedded links" often don't work

For context - Late '15 iMac with Monterrey 12.7.6, Safari 17.6, Mail 16.0. I'm seeing more and more cases where I find a link to another site or an e-mail address "embedded" on a webpage, or a "click here box" in an e-mail, and clicking on those embedded links simply results in the twirly beach ball, or sometimes no response whatsoever. In a few cases, it seems the computer has completely locked up and I have to turn off power and restart that way to get going again.

Is this some subtle setting or settings that I've mistakenly selected, or is it something inherent to my older machine and those software versions? Thanks for any assistance!