ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Editor's Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified the plaintiff in the lawsuit.

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Internet safety is one of the main focuses for a local group that fights human trafficking.

An advocate with Selah Freedom says she is hopeful a new lawsuit taking aim at the dating app "Grindr" can help protect young people even beyond Tampa Bay.

The lawsuit stems from a tragic case in Pinellas County.

Police say 16-year-old Miranda Corsette was murdered and dismembered by a 35-year-old man she met on a social media app.

The lawsuit identifies that app as Grindr, which Selah Freedom's prevention coordinator, Hilda Arreola, says the nonprofit is familiar with.

"There's a lot of concerns," Arreola said. "Especially the fact that you can just self-identify yourself, and there's no really set parameters in place to verify the person's age. That is always a red flag for us."

Arreola works to educate teens and parents about the dangers of sharing too much personal information online.

But in the case of Grindr, she says the concern is that teens will enter a fake age to access the site, and be exposed to adults with bad intentions.

"As we always explain to youth, it's a lot easier for an adult to manipulate and to trick a younger child, because they have more life experience," Arreola said.

Grindr's terms of service say the site is off limits for anyone under the age of 18.

But a lawsuit filed in U.S. District court says Corsette was just 16 years old when she used the app to connect with 35-year-old Steven Gress.

The court documents say Gress tortured Miranda for a week before killing and dismembering her.

His domestic partner is also charged in her death.

According to the lawsuit, there are a number of tools that can verify age with government IDs and selfies submitted for facial mapping for just cents per user.

It claims Grindr deliberately caters to "a niche demand among child predators and those seeking underage users" for financial gain.

The suit also takes aim at the company's advertisements, which it says sexualizes young people to attract members.

Arreola says she's hopeful this case can lead to more social media sites implementing stricter age verification, and companies being more responsible with advertising.

"Children are being sexualized more and more every, single day," she said. "That, in turn, is what allows people to think it's okay to sexualize them themselves."

Spectrum News reached out to Grindr for comment but didn't hear back.

An attorney for Corsette's family says the company also hasn't officially responded to the lawsuit.