Gallery not letting me favorite items

I just downloaded the Sims 4 on a brand new gaming laptop. This is my first time attempting to play the game. I do not have a single mod or CC item downloaded, and I have not even started a save file yet. Despite this, when I go into the gallery, it is very slow, and when I try to favorite items that other players have posted, the game freezes and I get a 'server error' popup. The game then does not unfreeze itself, and I have to use Task Manager to shut it down. Why is this happening, and how can I stop it? Thank you.