This is called in the language of the Shari'ah khiyar al-bulugh. I am pleased to see that the marriage of the minors is outlawed in many Muslims countries now and it is not permitted in most of the states in United States, according to my knowledge. The main reason for the prohibition of this type of marriage was that very often the minors were put in marriage relationship by their parents or guardians, and they were forced to live for the rest of their lives in this relationship against their wills. Wherever coercion in marriage exists it is against the letter and the spirit of the Shari'ah. It is the role of parents and guardians in the marriage.
Parents do have a right to choose, recommend and approve their children's marriage partners.
People go often to extremes in this matter. Some people think that parents have so much right that they can even compel and coerce their young sons and daughters to marry the mates of their parents choice and must ignore their own feelings, but their are others who say that the parents have no say in this matter and the whole thing must be left to young people's own choice and selection. Both of these positions are wrong. It is not only in Islam, but in all decent families and societies it is recognized that young people should not marry without the approval of their parents and elders. The more functional and interdependent the family the more its young respect and pay attention to the wishes of their elders.