The number of young people in Shanghai with speech impediments has risen by 20 per cent during the past two years, and experts say modern technology is largely to blame. The Chinese Medical Association says 1.3 per cent of the city's population between 15 and 23 years old now have stutters or other speech impediments, the Shanghai Morning Post reported. It says the rise is largely due to the fact that young people often use the Internet or text messaging to communicate with each other, rather than speaking.