California has passed a law banning marriage for anyone under 18, taking effect on 1 January 2027, making it the 18th US state to do so since 2018. Until now the state set no minimum age, allowing children to wed with parental consent and a judge's approval, and advocacy group Unchained At Last says about 9,000 girls married each year, almost all to adult men. The change matters because child marriage remains legal in 32 US states, and survivors say they will keep campaigning for a nationwide ban.